New Kid on the Block

There is an unwritten rule in online marketing that you don't do anything for anyone unless you are getting a cut of the action. You don't help someone promote something unless there is money in it for you. And I totally get that. It's a business, and business should always be business. You don't run a website or blog just to promote everyone that you know and to hand out favors.

But what about your close friends?

Many online marketers stick to these rules even when dealing with friends. And, to an extent, I totally get that as well. Even though someone is your friend that doesn't mean you are obligated to promote something from them that you think is absolute horseshit. Also, it is everyone's perogative to do what they want to do and keep business and friendship separate.

I, however, choose not to get down like that.

Friends always come before business in my mind. John Alvino, Alwyn Cosgrove, Keith Scott and Craig Ballantyne are all highly respected colleagues of mine. But first and foremost, they are all my good friends. So I will promote anything they do weather or not there is any incentive at all. The incentive is to see my friends do well. If they do something that sucks, trust me, I would never compromise my integrity and recommend it to you. But the fact of the matter is they are four of the smartest guys in the business and would never do anything that is less than stellar, therefore I have no problem helping them spread the word.

People have often told me that certain morals that I hold near and dear are holding me back from ever making as much money as I have the potential to. That's fine. I need to be able to shave in the morning...if you know what I mean.

So to continue my life long trend of going against the norm, I would like to promote a friend today, on my website for abolutely...FREE (shocking, I know). This is a brand new article that was written by my friend and Virginia Commonwealth University Basketball Head Strength Coach, Danny Vega (pictured above). It's the first article he's ever written and I personally thought it was outstanding. I think you should check it out by clicking HERE now.

So What's the Deal With Tempo?

I'm sure most of you are familiar with the word tempo when it comes to training.

Right?

But why?

I searched every dictionary I could find and there is no definition that remotely resembles what most people think it means when it applies to weight training. It is basically the speed at which a piece of music should be played.

Who ever decided to apply that to training must have had some kind of imagination. The correct terminology is rep speed and from now on will be known as such.

Anyway, to answer the question, here's the deal with tempo/ rep speed; it sucks.

Well, kind of. But usually.

First of all, changing your rep speed on a regular basis is a way to ensure that you never really know if you are making progress or not. This is actually a great trick that some trainers use. They don't know how to get their clients stronger so they just change the rep speed There is no way their clients will ever catch on to this ingenious little scheme. In January you are benching with a rep speed of 505 and then in March, a 402 rep speed, come June it's 323, etc, etc. But how do you know if you are ever getting stronger? It's just like using way too many exercises (bench, incline bench, 1 board, 2 board, 3 board, 4 board, 5 board, all of those with bands, chains, weight releasers, fat bars or any combo of those) because there is just too much variety to keep track of. There are certain variables that need to remain constant in any experiment, and that's what your training basically is; an experiment. You are always testing what you are doing and you need to see if it's working, ie. you are getting stronger. If your bench goes up, is it because your rep speed was different or did you really get stronger? You never know.

That is one of the major reasons why "tempo" sucks.

Anytime you see a routine written with a slow concentric, meaning the lifting portion of the exercise, get up and walk away; it's shit. You should never, ever lift a weight slowly if you are trying to get big and strong. It makes no sense.

The rare case when this could be of benefit would be during rehab situations. Other than that, it's crap.

What about lowering the weight slowly? Well, this is where it gets hairy. You see, there actually is a ton of evidence and research showing that controlling and even stressing the eccentric portion of the movement leads to hypertrophy gains.

There are also about ninety six cajillion guys in the history of the planet that have gotten enormously bigger and stronger without ever worrying about that. (See Arnold and the entire cast of Pumping Iron, the entire WWF, IFBB, NFL and just about every other big guy you have ever seen at the gym).

So what about it? What's the answer there?

Despite all the people who successfully ignored this advice, I still think you should always control the eccentric portion of every exercise you do, never drop the weight. I would say a strict two seconds would be great and if you wanted stretch it to three, that would be okay too. But anything more than that is unnecessary. Eight second negatives are a bit ridiculous if you ask me. Control the descent and explode up, it's as simple as that.

What about pausing? Pausing is ok, especially in exercises where an extreme stretch can help you grow. Any kind of calf raise is a perfect example of this. You should almost always pause and get a skin ripping stretch at the bottom of a calf raise.

Too much variety and a lack of consistency is actually a huge problem in most peoples training programs. Using every rep speed you can possibly make up, just makes the problem worse. Stick to a controlled two or three second negative and explode the weight up. Sometimes you can pause in the bottom if there is a good reason and sometimes you can do a slower negative at the end of a set from time to time. But for the most part, keep it simple.

And remember tempo= music; it's rep speed.

Why You May Need To Eat More Protein

Today we have a great article for you on the importance of protein, by Dr. John Berardi. Check it out...
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Nowadays there are a lot of misconceptions with respect to protein intake. Should one take in 1 gram of protein per lb of body weight? Or is it 1 gram per kilogram? And, to the non-scientist, just how much is that?

Well, before discussing this issue, I think it’s important to explore the difference between protein need and protein optimization. When someone asks the question – how much protein should I eat – they are usually trying to figure out how much protein they need to optimize body composition and performance. But the question, "How much protein does an athlete need?" is a very different one from "How much protein should an athlete consume to improve body composition and athletic performance?"

In the research world, the word need is in no way associated with optimization. Instead it's defined as the minimum amount necessary in order to prevent deficiency. Therefore, in asking how much protein an athlete needs, you're asking the question "What's the minimum amount of protein an athlete can get away with to prevent wasting and eventual death?"

Since most athletes have access to and usually consume enough protein to stave off death, the common protein question about how much protein an athlete needs is a bad one. This question doesn't address the issue of real importance, the one that addresses what an athlete should consume to improve performance and body composition?

So, how much protein do individuals need to optimize performance and body composition? Well, the truth is, I don’t know. Everyone is different. However, what I do know is this – about 85% of all the individuals I’ve ever consulted with have been eating less protein that I recommend. And the first thing I do to stimulate results (usually “results” mean body composition changes) is to increase the protein intake while making a few concomitant changes to carbs and fat intake.
Now, there are a number of reasons why I boost protein intake in most clients so I’d like to outline them in this article.

Reason #1:Increased Thermic Effect of Feeding — While all macronutrients require metabolic processing for digestion, absorption, and storage or oxidation, the thermic effect of protein is significantly higher than that of carbohydrates and fat. In fact, protein requires 25-30% of the energy it provides just for digestion, absorption, and assimilation while carbs only require 6-8% and fat requires 2-3%. That means that eating protein is actually thermogenic and can lead to a higher metabolic rate. This means greater fat loss when dieting and less fat gain during hypercaloric diets.

Reason #2:Increased Glucagon — Protein consumption increases plasma concentrations of the hormone glucagon. Glucagon is responsible for antagonizing the effects of insulin in adipose tissue, leading to greater fat mobilization. In addition, glucagon also decreases the amounts and activities of the enzymes responsible for making and storing fat in adipose and liver cells. Again, this leads to greater fat loss during dieting and less fat gain during overfeeding.

Reason #3:Increased IGF-1 — Protein and amino-acid supplementation has been shown to increase the IGF-1 response to both exercise and feeding. Since IGF-1 is an anabolic hormone that's related to muscle growth, another advantage associated with consuming more protein is more muscle growth when overfeeding and/or muscle sparing when dieting.

Reason #4:Reduction in Cardiovascular Risk — Several studies have shown that increasing the percentage of protein in the diet (from 11% to 23%) while decreasing the percentage of carbohydrate (from 63% to 48%) lowers LDL cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations with concomitant increases in HDL cholesterol concentrations.

Reason #5:Improved Weight-Loss Profile — Research from Layman and colleagues has demonstrated that reducing the carbohydrate ratio from 3.5 - 1 to 1.4 - 1 increases body fat loss, spares muscle mass, reduces triglyceride concentrations, improves satiety, and improves blood glucose management.

Reason #6:Increased Protein Turnover — All tissues of the body, including muscle, go through a regular program of turnover. Since the balance between protein breakdown and protein synthesis governs muscle protein turnover, you need to increase your protein turnover rates in order to best improve your muscle quality. A high protein diet does just this. By increasing both protein synthesis and protein breakdown, a high protein diet helps you get rid of the old muscle more quickly and build up new, more functional muscle to take its place.

Reason #7:Increased Nitrogen Status — Earlier I indicated that a positive nitrogen status means that more protein is entering the body than is leaving the body. High protein diets cause a strong positive protein status and when this increased protein availability is coupled with an exercise program that increases the body's anabolic efficiency, the growth process may be accelerated.

Reason #8:Increased Provision of Auxiliary Nutrients — Although the benefits mentioned above have related specifically to protein and amino acids, it's important to recognize that we don't just eat protein and amino acids — we eat food. Therefore, high protein diets often provide auxiliary nutrients that could enhance performance and/or muscle growth. These nutrients include creatine, branched chain amino acids, conjugated linoleic acids, and/or additional nutrients that are important but remain to be discovered. This illustrates the need to get most of your protein from food, rather than supplements alone.

So, looking over this list of benefits, isn't it clear that for many individuals, an increase in protein intake would be advantageous for most people’s training goals? Since a high protein diet can lead to a better health profile, an increased metabolism, improved body composition, and an improved training response, why would anyone ever try to limit their protein intake to the bare minimum necessary to stave off malnutrition?

It seems to me that whether someone's on a hypoenergetic diet or a hyperenergetic diet, the one macronutrient they would want to be sure to overeat would be protein. Instead, by limiting protein intake, most individuals look for what they consider the bare minimum of protein, and then overeat carbohydrates and fats instead. That's a big performance and body composition mistake.

SEE ALSO: For more great training and nutrition wisdom, check out Dr Berardi’s complete system, Precision Nutrition. Containing 5 nutrition guides, two audio CDs, two DVDs, and our Gourmet Nutrition cookbook, Precision Nutrition will teach you everything you need to know to get the body you want -- guaranteed.

And what's more, you get a free lifetime membership to his private, members-only website, where you can talk exercise and nutrition 24/7 with thousands of fellow members and the Precision Nutrition coaches. Find out more about Precision Nutrition.

Assuaging Your Low Volume Fears

I have been discussing training volume quite a bit lately and have gotten an inordinate amount of positive feedback for which I would like to thank everyone. However, some people can't bring themselves to admit that they are doing too much. Others are intrigued by the idea that maybe doing less would yield greater results but can't seem to let go of the rock. And then there is the group that gives it a shot, only to freak out and go back to their old high volume routines not more than two or three weeks later. To this last group, I need to issue a warning. There is something you must know about low training volumes.

You will shrink. That's right, you will actually look smaller for a while. That is because your muscles will not hold that same fullness that they did when you did high volume training. One school of thought is that with high volume training, the muscles hold more fluid, nutrients, glycogen, etc. and that is what leads to them having a slightly larger appearnance on an everyday basis. But is that really it? Or is the "swell" actuall from trauma and damage to the muscle? People always say, "you look swole," or "you're gettin your swole on." I think maybe this might be closer to the truth, that the muscle is actually swollen from all the trauma inflicted upon it. If I hit you in the arm fifteen times with a bat, they will probably be an inch or so bigger for the next few days. Fifteen sets of curls have a similar effect.

The truth is that the swollen or slightly pumped look that you carry around with you on a high volume routine is probably a combination of both of those factors. So yes, if you stop doing high volume training you will actually look a bit smaller for a while because you will not be inducing this effect anymore.

However, the body will start to compensate and in time you will grow much bigger and stronger with less volume than you ever did with more. You will have greatly improved recovery ability, much more energy, fewer injuries and a higher sex drive. All pretty good things, if you ask me.

Like Dres once said, the choice is yours.

For more low volume training information go to TheHardgainer.com now.

News Stand News

I came to an agreement this week with Men's Fitness Magazine to become the new head training advisor. If you haven't picked up a copy of Men's Fitness recently, I suggest you do so. It is among the best mainstream fitness magazines out there. You won't find any 58 set pro bodybuilder workouts in there or nonsense like that. Sean Hyson has done a tremendous job assembling an array of some great writers who are among the best in the business. We will also be bringing in some new guys this year who are really going to make their mark, such as Keith Scott.

It's going to be a very big year in Men's Fitness and we have tons of good training information coming your way. So get your subscription now.

Ten time WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Triple H (pictured above reading this months issue) has his. I have it on good authority that his favorite section is the Hardgainer column. You know, the one with the picture of the strikingly handsome, goateed, bald dude...
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Also, combat athletes, might be interested in checking out the latest issue of MMA Sports Mag. I have a fully detailed training program for combat athletes included in there.
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And for a quick bodyweight only workout you can do anywhere, anytime to relieve some stress, pic up this months Maximum Fitness Magazine and read my de-stress workout on page 64.

New Survey

If you get a chance, I could use your help. Please take two seconds and click HERE to answer one question for me to help me serve you better in the future.
Thanks,
Jason

More On The Secret

First of all I want to apologize to anyone who had an order rejected today. Our shopping cart went down and it took several hours to fix. Because of this the sale will remain up for a few hours past the deadline. If you haven't placed your order yet to take advantage of the big savings, there is still time left.
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Today's post is a follow up on my post from last week about the laws of attraction and the Secret and all that hocus pocus. This post originally appeared on OddTodd.com and was brought to my attention by a very good friend of mine who happens to be good friends with Odd Todd. I thought it was hilarious and had to post it here. Check it out...

Messing with "The Secret"
So someone sent me a video called 'The Secret' recently and told me to watch it. So I did. It was kind of interesting kind of sort of.
It's a thoroughly cheesed out video that basically said that there's this "big secret" out there. A super secret secret to success that successful people know. Now on DVD! The general idea is linking the power of positive thinking to actual science. Like if you think that you want a new job and focus on that goal or whatever-- the laws of attraction will actually manipulate the matter of the universe to have things to help you get to your goal-- gravitate toward you. And in effect alter future reality-- not spiritually but scientifically by having the universal force clear a path toward your goal or some mumbo jumbo stuff or whatever. Like when you're having a good day things fall into place because you're attracting good things with a positive attitude. And when it's a bad day the negativity piles up because you're repelling the good stuff.. or something... or whatever. Yadda yadda... That sort of stuff.

Anyway, I do believe in the power of thinking positively and believe in sending good vibes to people who need em-- but I don't really believe universal manipulation was meant for straight profit and selfish reasons. Like if you sit there only praying for only yourself all day-- I'm not sure that's the way to go. This video was all about using this 'power' to hook yourself up with money and stuff. Sort of preying on ego maniacs who want shortcuts. Like some guy on the video said, 'He always gets a perfect parking space right in front at the Mall because he visualizes it before he gets there.' (Try that in Manhattan...) And some guy who wanted a new car thought about it and somehow he won a car or some crap. Seemed like alot of bs...
But I figured I'd give it a shot anyway! I mean I walk around doing nothing alot so I figured I might as well spend some time trying to manipulate the entire universe for my own personal reasons!

So all day long I walked around trying to visualize good things and alter my personal reality for fun and profit. And I think I might have actually had an effect on things! Because everything all day long went totally wrong. A total backfire day! If I was heading down into the subway I'd try to picture the subway pulling up just as I step onto the platform. All day long the subway would pull away just as I got there. And it would be like an overlong wait till the next one. I knew that getting $100,000 was a tall order so I tried to picture somehow getting ten dollars out of nowhere. Nothing. Not one cent. The nintendo DS game I wanted to get for my nephew was out of stock. When I approached an elevator, I visualized it waiting in the lobby for me-- but it was on the top floor and took forever to come down. When I tried to hail a cab... there were none. I spilled on my shirt. I was late to everything. A bartender ignored me. Roscoe puked on my rug. And for the most part the whole 'positive thinking' day turned out to be a big mess. Nothing I tried to visualize came together! So I chucked the whole idea overboard.

My conclusion was... positive thinking is fine and dandy but if there is any truth to the idea that you can manipulate universal matter to affect your reality-- don't mess with it all greedy and only tap into your god-like superpowers on occasion for very good reasons. Or face the wrath of a backfire...
ok bye!
tOdd

The Things People Do

During a normal week of training, coaching and consulting I visit quite a few different training facilitys other than just my own. Of course, many of these visits provide me with the opportunity to witness some seriously disturbing images. Yesterday I was in a public gym in New York City and witnessed the following:

A man in his early thirties doing dumbell presses with FIFTEEN POUND DUMBBELLS!!! And not only that but he was struggling. Now I am the last guy to make fun of someone for being weak or being a beginner or what not, but FIFTEENS at thirty years old?!!? I mean come on! How can you even walk the streets as a man? I would be terrified everywhere I went if I knew that I was that weak. I've never trained a single female that didn't work up to at least thirty fives. The sad part is I will see that guy again in a few months and at the most he will be doing twentys.

Bu then again, I doubt it.

Worse than that was that this guys trainer, who after careful assesment, decided that just what a guy this weak needs is six sets of cable crossover flyes with hideous form after his dumbbell presses. Brilliant deduction. That will get him strong and huge in no time.

Later I saw that same tandem repeating a few more oddities. At the trainers instruction, ol' Pure Power boy was doing some kind of standing knee raise that seemed to make no sense at all. It was a move that you would see Tito Ortiz do to Ken Shamrock at a UFC event by grabbing his head and pulling it down into his knee while simultaneously flexing at the hip and lifting his knee to Kens head. But there was no opponent, no head to hit; just air. He did this for numerous reps, apparently as his "cardio."

I was as confused as Eric Cressey in a topless bar so I got as far away as I could.

The next thing I saw was a trainer forcing his client to do twisting sit ups on a Roman Chair with a broomstick behind his head. The guy was obviously a novice and couldn't do a single rep. But the trainer yelled at him and made fun of him incessantly and forced him to press on. One of the trainers friends walked by and he shouted, "John come here. Watch this." Then proceeded to tell his client to attempt another set, no less than twenty seconds after the last "set," mind you. They both laughed. On the last rep, it looked like the guy broke his back in four places and collapsed to the floor screaming. He had to be carried out.

I also saw a guy listening to his iPod, the entire time he trained his client. I shit you not.

And then there was the female trainer who was dressed in designer jeans and knee high boots working the streets, I mean gym floor. An odd way to dress for a job in a gym, I thought. Meanwhile her husband "trained" another client across the gym while answering his phone every five minutes and sending emails like a horny 13 year old on myspace.

It might just be me but if someone is paying you for an hour, I think it would only be right to stay the fuck off your phone. But maybe I'm wrong.

When my time was finally up in this circus, I made my way to the door, longing for the relief the outdoors would provide my scarred psyche. I tried to look down so as not to witness another travesty. It didn't work and my attention was grabbed again by an overweight girl in her twenties and her trainer. She was doing lying chest presses with a FIVE POUND medicine ball! FIVE FUCKING POUNDS! Two and a half pounds per arm. The worst part about it is that girl has been there for over a year.

I'm guessing that she won't be achieving the Jessica Biel look by summer.

How did this ever happen to my industry? I'm truly ashamed.

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Don't forget that our huge sale goes until tomorrow at 12 noon. For huge savings check out www.thehardgainer.com and www.combatconditioningsecrets.com right now!

MLK Day 48 Hour Sale

One of my idols has always been the great, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A few of the things I can not tolerate in life are racism and injustice of any sort. Witnessing eithe of these acts drives me to the brink of insanity at times and when I see it happen I can't stand idly by and keep my mouth shut.

Dr. King stood up and fought against racism and injustice at a time when black people did not do that sort of thing. Dr. King was strong in the face of violence and hatred and tried to make a better world for all of us. For his great efforts and all he did for mankind, he was thanked by an assasins bullet.

Even though he is gone, Dr. King will never be forgotten and his message will carry on forever.

In honor of one of the greatest human beings to ever live, I have decided to have a 48 hour sale. In the grand scheme of things, Martin Luther King day is a relatively small holiday. But to me, it is one of the biggest, as we honor one of our countries greatest leaders and humanitarians and someone that I have tried to pattern my life after in many ways.

You won't see a Valentines Day or St. Patricks Day or Presidents Day sale from me, or any other sales for that matter, anytime soon. But if ever there was a time to have a holiday sale, today is the day.

So in honor of one of my idols, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I am having a 48 hour sale from now until Wednesday, January 17th at 12noon, EST.

Combat Conditioning Secrets is on sale from the normal price of $97 all the way down to $59.99!
Click HERE for more information on Combat Conditioning Secrets.

How To Get Jacked is on sale from the normal price of $49.99 down to $39.99 plus a host of new bonuses from Craig Ballantyne, Alwyn Cosgrove and John Alvino.
Click HERE for more information on How To Get Jacked.

Hopes & Wishes

It's come to my attention lately that tons of people are obsessed with some movie called "The Secret." All of these people are also living their lives by some supposed law of attraction or something like that. I think the two go hand in hand, but I could be mistaken. As far as I have been told, one of the things you do, when you follow these "life altering principles" is to think of what you want in life.

Ok, visualization, I have no problem with that. Sounds good.

Not only do you think about it, but you "ask" for it. That's where I got a little confused. Who you ask, I'm not really sure. It seems quite popular though so I gave it a shot. I called Hugh Hefner and asked him if I could move into the mansion. He hasn't called back yet. It's only been three months, so I haven't given up hope. I also called Puffy (P. Diddy to the rest of you) and asked if he would put me on his next single and help me improve my dancing skills a little. He threatened to hang me upside down off the roof of some building, like he used to do to people in the mid 90's, if I ever called back again.

I guess you have to really be deep in the inner circle to get that wish granting guy's number.

A friend of mine, who is in on this whole phenomenon called me recently to tell me of all the great things that were happening in his life. I was blown away by what he had going and asked him what he attributed all his recent success to. He told me he just "asks" for it and it comes to him.

WTF?!

"Who da fuck you askin?! Cuz I seriously need to meet this dude!"

Another premise of this whole belief system is that you tell people what you want to happen in your life. Meaning that if you want to make a million dollars a year, you tell people that you make a million dollars a year. That is why you will see tons of online marketers talking about how many millions they made this year while there fat asses take the free shuttle to the airport instead of the limo they should be able to buy.

While I know this seems like it's lying and being dishonest, there has to be some magic behind it, right? Well, that's what I thought, so I gave this principle a try as well.

For the last three months I have told every girl that I've met that I'm hung like Ron Jeremy. Sometimes they want proof. I explain to them that as much as I would love to show them, I am engaged to be married and my fiance would not approve. I then go on to explain that the young lady I speak of is none other than the lovely and talented, Vida Guerra.

Sometimes, they ask for proof of that. This is where things get a bit sticky. I have no pictures of V (my nickname for her) and I in my wallet, nor any on my phone. Not even a text message or missed call from her. Finally I have to concede, to the ones that push the issue, that I'm caught and I was lying (wishing/asking, I forget which one).

Now knowing that the God/Master of wish granting that all these people believe in couldn't possibly let me down twice in one night, I offer to prove to them that only one of my statements was a lie (wish). If they come back to my place, I will gladly show them that I am not the liar I appear to be.

When it turns out that both of my wishes had been rejected in the same night, a general feeling of melancholy fills the room. I had been hoodwinked, duped, bamboozled, yet again, for the umpteenth time in the last three months. She, on the other hand, just has that same mirthless, desolate look on her face that most girls who get to know me end up with; only in this case it took a lot less time than the usual two months.

Like my friend John Alvino asked, how could this law only apply to online marketing and not penis size? Does that almighty master know when you are trying to sneak one by? Are there only certain wishes he grants? I mean my friend got a new job, a new girlfriend and all kinds of other stuff just because he asked. So why hasn't Vida Guera replied to the question I asked her then? Maybe I'm just a cynical bastard and it doesn't work for people like me.

Or maybe, just maybe, there is no "universal law" that is based on FUCKING LYING. How about that? Could that possibly be so? Maybe, no matter how many times you tell someone that you make five million a year on your membership site or that you are going to be opening up for the newly reunited Led Zeppelin or that you have a twelve inch penis; a lie is just a lie.

Ever think of that?

Now to be fair, there may be more to "The Secret" and all the principles that go with it. I just have never had the heart to watch it. The fact that every else is doing so, makes it even less appealing.

What I'm saying is that you can "ask" and you can "wish" for things all you want. No one cares. Hard work and perserverance; that's how you get what you want in life. If want to bench press a certain amount of weight, I can ask for that to happen every night before I got to bed but unless I put in the hard work necessary to achieve that goal, it's never going to happen.

You can also lie about how much money you make to every person you meet. It doesn't affect us. It's only you that has to live a life filled with dishonesty and deceit. And it's you that is truly missing out on the meaning and joy of life because money has become your only undying obsession.

Also, if you really discover the power to magically change the universe and make all things work in your favor just by focusing and asking, don't you think you could find something a little more noble to do with that power than just increase the size of your own wallet?

Maybe end the war, help the homeless, something along those lines...

Na, wishing for your new Ferrari is more important than all that.

(And by the way, Vida, if you're reading this... call me.)

"I Can't Live Without My Radio"

Since I constantly publicize my obsessive love for music, I often get emails from people asking for recommendations of some good stuff to train to.

Music is one of the most important components of a good workout, so in no particular order here are a few of my favorites that are always in high rotation at the gym.

We'll stick with rock and metal today and focus on hip hop later in the week.

• Wake Up Call- The Prodigy
• Disposable Teens- Marily Manson
• Millionaires- Queens of the Stone Age
• Bullet with Butterfly Wings- Smashing Pumpkins
• The Fight Song- Marilyn Manson
• Zero- Smashing Pumpkins
• Personal Jesus- Marilyn Manson
• Irresponsible Hate Anthem- Marilyn Manson
• BYOB- System of a Down
• Toxicity- System of a Down
• Rise Above- Chuck D. & Henry Rollins
• Raining Blood- Slayer
• South of Heaven- Slayer
• Just Another Victim- Helmet & House of Pain
• NIB- Black Sabbath
• Balls to the Wall- Accept
• Caught in a Mosh- Anthrax
• Leash- Pearl Jam
• Last Exit- Pearl Jam
• Lukin- Pearl Jam
• Brain of J- Pearl Jam
• The Mob Rules- Black Sabbath
• I Disappear- Metallica
• Little Horn- Marilyn Manson
• Go Motherfucker, Go- Nashville Pussy
• Beat Me Senseless- Nashville Pussy
• Crash Course in Brain Surgery- Metallica
• At Dawn They Sleep- Slayer
• Push It- Static X
• Mob Scene- Marilyn Manson
• The Shortest Straw- Metallica
• Rock is Dead- Marilyn Manson
• Creeping Death- Metallica
• Blood- Pearl Jam
• Harvester of Sorrow- Metallica
• The Prince- Metallica
• Cowboys From Hell- Pantera
• Phantom Lord- Anthrax
• Rape Me- Nirvana
• The Horror- Superjoint Ritual
• Blind- Korn
• My Last Serenade- Killswitch Engage
• Angel Below- Underoath
• Am I Evil- Metallica
  
• Guerilla Radio- Rage Against The Machine
• Heresy- Nine Inch Nails
• Get Loose- Primer 55
• Bombtrack- Rage Against The Machine
  
• Fuck Your Enemy- Superjoint Ritual
• Angel of Death- Slayer
• Death Threat- Superjoint Ritual
• Highway To Hell- Marilyn Manson
• How I Could Just Kill A Man- Rage Against The Machine
  
• Everlasting- Smashing Pumpkins
• Killing Time- Metallica
• Stone Cold Crazy- Metallica
• Wisconsin Death Trip- Static X
• Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath- Black Sabbath
• Fast As A Shark- Accept
• The Better of Two Evils- Marilyn Manson
• Testify- Rage Against The Machine
• Wish- Nine Inch Nails
  
• Sleep Now in the Fire- Rage Against The Machine
• First I Look At The Purse- Nashville Pussy
• Animal- Pearl Jam
  
• Know Your Enemy- Rage Against The Machine
• I'm With Stupid- Static X
  
• Killing In the Name- Rage Against The Machine
• The Beautiful People- Marilyn Manson
  
• People of the Sun- Rage Against The Machine
  
• Breadfan- Metallica
• Why Go- Pearl Jam
• Bulls on Parade- Rage Against The Machine
• Blitzkrieg- Metallica
  
• Kneon Knights- Black Sabbath
• Spin the Black Circle- Pearl Jam

If your workouts have been lacking intensity, maybe some new music could be just what you need to get you out of your rut. It always works for me. Download some of these today and put them on your training mixes. Feel free to send some recommendations my way (Info@J1Strength.com) as I am always looking for some good new stuff to listen to.
Train hard.

"I Hate Losing, Even At Checkers."

Last night the New York Giants suffered a season ending, heartbreaking loss to end their 2006 season.

Without getting into detail about the season that was, it's probably safe to say that most of the Giants are happy to see this season go. Not that they wanted to lose, but it has been a bit of a mess, to say the least.

Tiki Barber was quoted as saying something to the effect that they have come to expect bad things to happen and when they do they are instantly deflated.

One guy, however was not, and is a shining example for athletes all over the world. That guy is Jeremey Shockey.

No matter how bad things got or how severely he was hurt, Shockey came to play his heart out every week. Last night was a prime example of what kind of attitude an athlete must possess to be a champion. Shockey was questionable for the game due to an ankle injury that has plagued him all season, yet he refused to miss it.

In obvious pain and unable to get up without a Herculean effort, Shockey played his heart out. On one particular play he had his helmet knocked off but continued on like nothing happened. He actually took on four oncoming tacklers by LOWERING HIS HEAD and giving them everything he had. The fact that anyone of them could have met him head- to- helmet and knocked him out of the game, possibly permanently, never crossed his mind. He was out to win.

In practices when he was at The University of Miami, Shockey was known to cheap shot a defensive back and "knock him on his ass," when he felt they weren't practicing hard enough.

If that is not how you approach every practice and every workout and every game you participate in, I have to wonder why you even bother? If you're not going to be 100% committed to doing your best each and every time you take the field or enter the weight room, then exactly what is the point?

To get out played is one thing, to get outworked is another. I have trained hundreds and hundreds of athletes over the years and have always tried to make sure that this was the attitude that they all possessed. The squat workout you do today isn't just another squat workout; it's one step closer to your goal of victory and domination. So act accordingly.

Every time you take it easy or slack off, you can be guaranteed that someone, somewhere, is busting their ass and sooner or later you will meet up with them on the playing field.

Even if you don't play any sports at all, you should still approach your workouts with the same fervor and determination that Jeremey Shockey takes with him on every route he runs. A workout is not just a social hour or a time to get a pump. Set goals for yourself in the weightroom and do all you can to achieve them. That makes going to the gym so much more fun than just going in and wasting time like everyone else. Every time you are there, you should be better than the last time. Weather it's more weight or more reps, or whatever; the point is to constantly improve. Since you don't play a sport, the weights are your opponents, and you go to battle with them at each and every workout with the intention of emerging victorious.

Much has been written about the detrimental effect of constantly training to failure. While this may be the case, there is always something to be said for instilling work ethic, building character and creating a sense of competition and camaraderie amongst teammates. I have always believed that in the real world, what looks good on paper or in the lab doesn't always pan out. You can't hold guys back in the weight room and then expect them to go out and knock heads off when the season comes. They have to be training and working all off season with this intention and determination. If that means taking more sets to failure than is optimal for the CNS, than so be it. Cut your volume way down, but never sacrifice intensity and hard work.

When asked to describe what Jeremy Shockey really cares about in life, one of his friends said, "football and fucking."

Tough to argue with those choices. Whatever it is that you care about and do, I think you should remember the example Jeremey Shockey set yesterday and give it all you got, consequences be damned.

Is there really any other way?

Eat Big, Get Big

Since it's the winter and the perfect time for bulking up I thought I would share a hilarious poem from my good friend, Dave Tate. While it is definitely a little wacked out and humorous it also stresses the importance of eating big to get big. In a perfect world, you could consume four to six thousand calories per day of egg whites, oatmeal, chicken, fruit and vegetables. But let's face it, that's impossible. No one can do that. If you really want to jack up your calories and pack on a ton of weight, you're gonna have to hit the junk food once in a while. It's the only way. If you try to stay lean all year you can still get bigger, it will just take way longer and you will never gain a ton of size. If your goal is to weigh 250 and right now you weigh 175, you're gonna have to put away some serious amounts of pizza and ice cream and be prepared to gain some bodyfat. If you eat big and train heavy you will grow. If not, you won't. It's really that simple.

With that being said, here is Dave's poem about one of his favorite junk foods for bulking up; Oreos. This is the follow up to his dissertation on how to eat a bag of Oreos at one sitting.

This is NOT a meal nor snack.
It is just another way to add some JACK.

Sometimes you have to do things to live your dream.
and yes, this may mean eating some cream.T

his may not be the best habit to keep
But remember when the rest of the world is asleep.

You will be the one paying the price.
As they wake to another day of chicken and rice.

Sometimes you need to eat healthy to stay clean.
But I am here say you may have to eat like shit to be a machine.

This may be contrary to fact
but skinny NOT, Let's get jacked.

If you want to grow up to be like the great King Kong
then mark my words, you may need some Ding Dongs.

Listen up and make sure to get this right
it all comes down to calories per bite.

Some of you may be saying "Dave you are whacked"
This is okay because I am almost JACKED.

I have done what I needed to do.
And yes. I remember the picture at the zoo.

To keep from getting decked
you should get your blood work checked.

A glass, ice cream and root beer make a float
just what is needed for a monster bloat.

Please don't get trapped
you need to eat big to get JACKED

There will be times you will want to quit
walk to the mirror and look through your slits

your face is bloated and looks like dread
but your arms are JACKED, you can't shave your head.

Eating in class once lead to after school detention
but a must this was to gain water retention.

Go to the store and hit the cookie isle
Load the cart up with a big giant pile

When you check out you will pay the toll
Never mind, this is the way to get swole.

The point I am trying to make
Is really as simple as eating cake

Candy bars, subs, and chips are the right track
A great daily lunch this is, to get JACKED.

It has to do with getting more than getting big
For some of us this may mean being a pig.

You see getting lean is a piece of cake.
It is getting big that makes most shake.

The thought of losing their abs
has them all taking jabs

They need to get in the kitchen and crank up "back in black"
Tear open a box of pop tarts and get JACKED.

They buzz-buzz-buzz like mosquitos
when all they need is a bag of Doritos.

I will say this one more time
what they say and do is such a crime

They have their ass tied and bound
Here is a clue - Fudge Round.

Dieting is easy when you set your way.
Adding mass is without a doubt a different day.

They have their way and I have mine
but please remember I walk the line

They might have been the head of the class.
but they can kiss my JACKED up ass!

Happy New Year!

You gotta love that. Now go eat like a man.

Reader Mail

Hi Jason,
I bought your "get jacked" guide maybe one or two years ago - and I can honestly say that I have not added one single gram of muscle. The reason? Probably because I did not apply one thing I read, instead I spend countless of hours reading all conflicting ideas at t-nation, and doing very little training and if I ever did - it would be something written by Christian T, like OVT or some specialization program for arms/delts etc. probably not a got thing if you are 34 years old, 178 cm, 75 kg with 15% body fat. However I came to think about your book the other day and now I feel that this is probably what I need, real advice from someone not on steroids and not genetically gifted.

JF: This is a mistake that too many people make. It's called paralysis by analysis. Don't search for the "perfect program" in hopes of a miracle. I have written a program out that will deliver exactly what you desire and will help you achieve your goals in rapid time. But if you never do the program and sit around and question everything you do and don't believe in it and put all you have into it, you will never get anywhere.

I plan to follow your advice to reach my goals, nice beach body = 75-80 kg with 8% bodyfat.

Now to my questions:
Should I try to lean down first or gain the mass first - or phase the approach and mix periods of muscle gain training and Fat loss phases?

JF: You are pretty small and skinny right now so I would go right into a mass phase. You will probably end up leaner anyway and you will look much better.

Nutritional advice: Is John Berardi's massive eating a good approach in your view?

JF: Yes it is. When you are attempting to gain a ton of size, nutrition is incredibly important. You must make it a major focus of your program.

What do you recommend for fat loss training? Cosgrove/turbulence/john Berardis new book "metabolic advantage" or something completely different - like maybe your own fatt loss program?

JF: You named the two best currently out there, AfterBurn and Turbulence Training. These programs will help you lose fat faster than anything else out there right now.

I plan incorporate your ideas to my training and reach the best shape of my life in the next 6 months- thanks and all the best,
Mattias
*********************

Question: What do you think of Optimum Nutrition's Pro Complex Gainer? I ordered your book, and I'm ready to start a mass program. I know how important breakfast is, and it's always been difficult for me when training for mass, because I'm simply not hungry in the morning. I end up gagging my way through a dozen egg whites and oatmeal. What are your thoughts on the aformentioned gainer? Or any weight gaining shake for that matter?
Carey

JF: Carey, I'm pretty much the same way when it comes to eating solid food in the moring so I always start the day with a shake and then have my first solid meal of eggs, toast, oats and fruit about two hours later. I don't know much about the Optimum Nutrition shake but Lean Gainer by Labrada and IsoPure Mass are good weight gain shakes. If you need even more calories, add in some fruit, milk, a tablespoon or two of yogurt and macadamia nut oil. Good luck.
*******************

Jason, I just wanted to say that yesterdays Ms. New Booty post was the best of many classics here on this blog. Keep 'em coming my man. I look forward to reading everyday.
Mike T.

JF: Thanks Mike, I have been getting a lot of positive feedback on that one. Glad so many people liked it.
*******************

Coach, I love the blog, it's f'n hilarious. Quick question for you. I weigh about 205 right now at about 13 or 14% bodyfat. I want to get bigger without getting fatter. When should I cut my carbs off at night? Or is this just a myth?
Thanks,
Keith C.

JF: Keith, that depends on what time you train. After you train your body is primed for carbs so if you train at night you can still eat carbs at night. I wouldn't take it to the extreme though and you still can't change the fact that insulin sensitivity is high in the morning and that your body wants protein and carbs in the moring more than it does protein and fat. So if you train at night what I would do is eat two carb meals in the morning and then switch to low carb meals for the rest of the day until after your workout. Then after you train you should have a protein and carb shake. Your next meal, depending on what time it is, should be protein, low to moderate carbs with a moderate amount of fat.

Now if you train early in the day, simply eat carbs most of the day up until around six or so and then cut them off for the night.
******************

Hey Jason - I just had a couple of questions about the "Get Jacked" program that I was hoping you could clarify. I'm currently in my 3rd week of training and am seeing great results. I've gained about 10 pounds and feel stronger than I ever have. My greatest challenge has been eating enough!

My first question was about the pull-ups. I can only do 3-4 full pullups in my first set, and then one the second. I've been finishing the reps doing negatives, and when the negatives become too much (no longer slow and controlled) I rep out on the lat pulldown at about 75% of my body weight. Is that the right thing to do? Or would you recommend another approach?

JF: Ryan, I would prefer to see you get some JumpStretch bands and attach them to the bar to assist you in getting the required number of reps. Get the mini, the light and the average bands. This will help you progress faster. What you are doing now is okay and you continue on that path until you get the bands.

The second question is regarding warm-up sets. Are the warmups included in the number of sets that are listed, or do I do a few before and how do you do them?

JF: The sets listed are not including warm ups. Usually you will do your first warm up with 50% of your starting weight for six to ten reps. After that, move to 70 and then 90% for five reps each. If you feel you need more warm ups than this, another set or two won't hurt.

Thanks, this program has made training fun again!
Ryan G

JF: Glad you like it. Keep up the great work and let me know how much you gain in the end.

Questions & Answers

Question:
Jason,
I play in competitive flag football leagues and tournaments and I have been trying to find a workout to improve my playing ability as well as maintain my size and strength. I typically play football three days a week and I found it difficult to fit the typical workout plan into the rest of the week. I read the MVP Muscle Plan in Men’s Fitness and I found that it works perfect for me. I can get three great workouts in between my game days. I also work in law enforcement and I feel that this workout can also benefit me in my job. With this workout I can increase my speed and agility for football but also build strength for my job. I was wondering what substitutions I could make to the workout to change it up a little as not to get too burned out on one workout. Thank you for the great workout and I hope to read many more great articles.
Don

Answer:
Don,
If you play football three days per week, three days is probably the maximum amount of days that you can lift. And like the MVP workout, you should stick with one lower body day only and two upper body days. There are tons of exercises you can sub in for the ones listed in the magazine article. For your purposes, here is a typical layout of what each training day should look like:

Day One
1) Flat, Incline, Board, Floor or Rack Bench Press- 3-5 x 1-5
2) 1 Arm DB Row, Chest Supported DB Row, Bent Over Barbell Row, Reverse Grip Barbell Row, T-Bar Row, Chin Up, Pull Up, Neutral Grip Chin Up, Towel Chin Up- 3-5 x 1-5
3) Upper back/ rear delt- Bent Over Lateral Raise, Seated DB Clean, Face Pull- 3 x 6-10
4) Biceps- Barbell Curl, Hammer Curl, Incline Curl- 2-3 x 6-8
5) Triceps- Pushdowns, Parallel Bar Dips, Extensions- 2-3 x 8-10

Day Two
1) Box Jump, Depth Jump, Altitude Landing- 3-6 x 1-5
2) Olympic lift- Snatch, Clean, High Pull, etc.- 3-5 x 1-5
3) Squat or Deadlift Variation- Front Squat, Back Squat, Box Squat, Deadlift, Snatch Grip Deadlift, Deadlift off plates, Deadlift from rack- 3-5 x 1-5
4) Single Leg Exercise- Split Squat, Step Up, Reverse Lunge,etc.- 2-3 x 6-12
5) Posterior Chain Exercise- Back Extension, Glute Ham Raise, Reverse Hyper- 2-3 x 8-10

Day Three
1) Row Or Chin Up variation- 3-4 x 8-10
2) DB press or pushup variation- 3-4 x 8-19
3) External rotators- 2-3 x 12-20
4) Biceps- 2-3 x 8-12
5) Triceps- 2-3 x 8-12

Abs can be done at the end of each workout or just on the leg day or just on the two upper body days, whatever works better for you and your schedule.


Question:
Jason,
I am currently on a very long-term (3 months so far, 3 more to go) of an Anabolic Diet cycle, i.e. just fat & proteinduring the week, and massive carb-ups during the weekend, so long weekends are indeed a feed-fest, time to replenish glycogen stores and any musclelost during the week. This has worked brilliantly, down from 13% BF to 8%so far, aim to hit 6%.What are your thoughts on the Anabolic Diet and Body-Opus- type diets ? Any articles you may have produced on this topic ?
Thanks,
Dimitri

Answer:
Dimitri,
Obviously this is working for you so I probably wouldn't be in a hurry to switch anything just yet. I have used similar plans with much success in the past. My problem with diets like this is that they are generally not healthy and do not provide an ample amount of fiber and vitamins and minerals. Anytime you restrict your intake of vegetables, something is wrong. Low carb diets are great for losing fat but there are problems associated with them as well. As long as you do a low carb and not no carb diet and are sure to eat plenty of vegetables and avoid tons of saturated fat you should be ok.

If you stay on a very low carb diet for a long time you will also find that your insulin sensitivity will start to decrease after a while. This is not a good thing.

These kinds of diets should be used sparingly, such as to really kick start a fat loss cyle like you are doing or, more appropriately, at the very end of a fat loss cyle, to help lose the last few stubborn pounds of bodyfat.

As far as gaining mass goes on these diets, my advice is to never try it. The name the "Anabolic Diet" is a bit misleading because there is really nothing anabolic at all about removing carbohydrates from your diet and you would be hard pressed to find a single sould who ever built a lot of size without carbs in his diet.

Squat

On a normal visit to the mall it usually takes me at least 15 minutes or so for the stress levels to amplify and cortisol to flow like the Nile. But around the Christmas shopping season, I'm sweating bullets long before I ever walk in the door. Sitting in bumper to bumper traffic in the parking lot, while waiting for the next miserable mall patron to harrass and follow to their parking spot is enough to make anyone long for a sharp piece of glass to jam in their retina.

Finally inside I realize that I forgot how hot the mall gets, especially this time of year, and now I have to lug my enormous hip hop style puffy winter jacket with me for next hour. Of course I could run it back out to the car but once I enter the war zone I like to get down to business and get out as quickly as possible. A mad dash in the cold would only extend my time of suffering.

I pull my hat lower and keep my sunglasses on to avoid the possiblity of any awkward exchanges with someone I haven't seen in the last three to ten years. You know how those go...

"Hey...Mike? How's everything?"

"Good. And you?"

"Great, thanks."

"So what's new, what have you been up to?"

"Nothing."

"Oh yeah?"

"What about you?" (please say "nothing", please say "nothing.")

"Not much, same old shit."

Whew, thank God. He needs to be stuck here talking to me like he needs a hole in his head and is telling me so in not so direct terms. I couldn't be happier.

"Ok well I gotta get running here, good seeing you, Merry Christmas."

"You too, Jay, take care."

With that close call out of the way I'm off to buy presents. Three highly succesful hours later, I'm ready to leave. On my way out I realize that I need a new pair of jeans and should grab some while I'm here.

I pile into the dressing room with my stash of bags and proceed to try on four different jeans. When you have squatted and deadlifted for a number of years, you know how difficult it can be to find jeans. Everyone who has ever trained in my gym always had this same problem. The legs and ass are too tight and the waist is too big. The other thing is you can't fit in any jeans from a lot of stores. Anything trendy like Diesel aint happening.

I peel off my cargo pants which are now glued to my leg with sweat; the byproduct of three stress filled hours of shopping, and try on the first pair of jeans. They come to a complete halt at mid quad. I start to sweat more.

Next pair comes to my hips but is never going to make it over my ass unless I get a size 46 waist. I feel the sweat drip off my eyelids.

At this point I know I'm in the wrong store and decide I have had enough of the mall for one day. I strip to my boxers and fan myself down in the dressing room for a second before getting dressed to leave. I look in the mirror and notice that it's one of those dressing rooms that has the "posing light" which makes you look way more jacked than you really are. You know, the one small spotlight that shines straight down on you from directly above your head. It casts the perfect shadows, so even though you are smooth and dehydrated from not drinking any water during the three hour sweat fest and are bloated from the pizza you grabbed cuz it was the only thing in the mall to eat, you suddenly look like Brad Pitt in Fight Club, only 50 pounds more muscular. It's not till you get home to the stark white light of your bathroom that you realize that the holiday season has you left you more closely resembling Brad Garrett from Everybody Loves Raymond, than Brad Pitt from Fight Club, but I digress.

Finally I was able to peel myself away from the mirror and head back out into the cold. I began the hand signal game with a few of the cars waiting outside to direct them to where I was parked. When I got in the car and pulled out I tried to think of the last time I could buy jeans with ease and was the cause of my plight. One thing came to mind: squats.

If you want big legs you have got to squat. For the first few years of your training you should squat, squat and squat some more. Everyone's goal should be to squat double bodyweight, at least. And I'm talking about real, full squats, at least to parallel.

Let's briefly talk form for a second. A perfect squat should look like this:
Grab the bar with an even grip, wider than shoulder width. Be sure to squeeze it as hard as you can.
Duck under it and jam your shoulder blades as far back as you can.
The bar should sit on your traps, not the top of your spine or your neck.
By keeping your hands in a little closer you can create a bigger shelf for the bar to sit on. By close I mean 6-10 inches wider than shoulder width. If you have shoulder problems, this is not an option and you will need to grab the bar wider. Never grab the bar with an extremely close grip.
With your head up and back arched, unrack the weight and take two steps back.
Before beginning your descent be sure to take a deep breath and fill your belly with air. Basically you want to push your abs out as far as you can.
With your chest up and back arched, you are now going to push out on the sides of your feet like you are trying to spread the floor.
To begin your descent, break at the hips by pushing your glutes back as far as you can and then squatting down as low as you can go without losing the arch in your back and allowing your butt to tuck under.
This may be to parallel or it may be all the way to the floor (known in some circles as "ass to the grass" or even worse, the acroynm, "ATG." If you use this terminology your manhood will be revoked in all 50 states for five years, minimum).
On the way up, be sure to lead with your head, chest high, drive your elbows forward and under the bar and push your hips forward.

Normal back squats should be your bread and butter but here is a list of other excellent squat variations that you should include in your workouts:

• Back squat
• Front squat
• Safety bar squat
• Cambered bar squat
• Box squat
• Safety bar box squat
• Cambered bar box squat
• Belt squat
• Power squat machine

Beginnners can often squat three times per week. Intermediates will do better squatting once or twice a week and advanced guys should squat once every 7-10 days.

Be sure to include a variety of sets and reps in your squat workouts and always focus on maximizing your recovery.

How do you know if you're squatting enough?

If you can buy jeans at Banana Republic, you're not.

Music Please

"At first I was afraid, I was petrified..."

No way they're playing this...

"Kept thinkin I could never live without you by my side..."

What did I do to deserve this? Say it aint so.

"But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong..."

Holy shit, they really are playing I Will Survive, in a "gym" in New York City. How a travesty like this could ever be allowed to occur is something that will always boggle my mind.

If you own a gym or training center of any kind, one of your main responsibilities is to have a fairly decent knowledge of music. To know nothing whatsoever about music and pay no mind to what is playing in your facility is downright negligent.

In this day and age it is unacceptable to ever hear a commercial in a gym or training center. With iPods and satellite radio readily available, allowing commercials to air while people are trying to squat is unforgivable.

If you own a training facility you have those two options. You either buy satellite radio or you make 12 hour mixes on your iPod and plug them into the stereo system and allow it to play all day long. If you own a hardcore powerlifting or sports performance place, stick with rock, metal and hip hop. If it is more of a mainstream, commercial place you probably want to cut out the metal and stick to rock and hip hop.

Gone are the days when only a small rebellious group of individuals listen to hip hop. Now it is as widely accepted as mainstream rock like Bon Jovi or Bruce Springsteen. To not have it playing would actually seem a bit strange and like the gym you are running is out of the loop and behind the times. I have a good female friend who is quite wealthy and recently turned 50. Her current favorite song is I Wanna Love You by Snoop Dogg and Akon. Everybody listens to hip hop. Don't be afraid to play it because you don't want to offend people. Not playing it will offend just as many people.

If you run a training center at a private country club and all of the members are wealthy men in their 50's and 60's, get Sirius Satellite Radio and tune into the classic rock station all day. It's not really that hard to figure out.

Find out who your clientele are and put on some music that everyone will enjoy training to throughout the day. Believe me, it aint country, disco, hit's from the doo wop era or commercials.

I am continually shocked every time I go into a gym and hear regular old FM radio playing or some absolute horseshit mix of stuff no one has ever heard of or would ever want to hear of. Music is one of the most important elements in creating the right environment in your training center. In many people's minds, including mine, it is the number one determining factor of how much they like training at your facility. I don't care what the place looks like or what equipment you have, if I walk in and Flashdance by Irene Cara is playing, I'm outta there. I know tons of people who feel the same.

Of course you always have the option of playing your iPod in a place like this but I just think it's time for gym owners to wake up and step it up a notch. This is something so important, so easy to fix but yet so often overlooked. Paying attention to detail is always one of the most important things in life and this is one small detail that should never be overlooked.

By the way, The Re-Up by Eminem and Hip Hop is Dead by Nas are two great new albums worth checking out.

Top tracks are The Re-Up, Wer'e Back and You Don't Know on Eminem's album and Money Over Bullshit, You Can't Kill Me, Hip Hop Is Dead and Black Republican featuring Jay Z on Nas' album.

New Interview

This is an interview I did recently for Mike Robertson of www.RobertsonTrainingSystems.com
**********

MR: Jay, tell us a little bit about yourself.

JF: Well Mike here is a quick summary for everyone: I became obsessed with weight training when I was younger because I was always the smallest and weakest kid in school. At that time I had two goals; one was to improve my sports performance, but more importantly to me was just to get bigger. I hated being so small and weak.

I learned a lot through trial and error and then started to read and study as much as I could. I made some great gains over the years and went from 145 pounds at six feet as a high school senior to 230 at the same height, at my biggest.

Over the last 14 years I have helped tons of hardgainers like myself to achieve their goals. I have also worked with over 500 athletes in my own private training center in New Jersey.

MR: What brought you into the industry? Once there, who has helped you become the coach you are now?

JF: My obsession with training continued to grow over the years and eventually I decided it was something I could make a living at. I loved training, I loved sports and I loved helping people. I figured I could combine the three and make a great life for myself.

At the beginning I got caught up with the wrong crowd and fell victim to false guru worship. That taught me a lot about how not to do business and how not to conduct yourself. Many people who have heard me tell some of these stories are horrified to hear of some of my experiences but I wouldn’t change a thing. Everything happens for a reason and you learn even from bad experiences.

I think I had to go through that for a reason because since then I have been blessed to meet some incredible people in this industry. The person who has helped me the most over the years just by being a good friend and an incredibly intelligent colleague to bounce things off of has been John Alvino.

Alwyn Cosgrove has become one of my closest friends in the world and he has helped me infinitely over the years. Whenever I need advice in this business I go to Alwyn or Dave Tate.
There are many other guys out there who have become good friends and have been helpful but John, Alwyn and Dave stand out.

MR: Tell the readers a little bit about your training philosophy: Are you a max strength guy? Worse yet, a mobility guy?

JF: Haha, I’ll leave that last one to you.

I’m an “everything guy” I guess you could say. There is no way to describe what I do. Some guys have a specific niche or gimmick I guess that they are known for but I really don’t.

Am I a max strength guy? Yes.

Am I a bodyweight training guy? Yes.

Am I an Olympic lifting guy? Yes.

Am I a “functional training” guy? I guess.

I don’t discriminate. I take ideas and concepts from several different disciplines, use bits and pieces of different theories and systems and combine them all the best way I know how to achieve the desired result.

I think if you become just an “xyz” guy you are missing out on so much more. Some guys think that max strength is all that matters. Get stronger and you will instantly jump higher, run faster, hit harder, gain size and have less injuries.

Well, yeah, maybe. But maybe not. What if strength is not your limiting factor? What if you can squat and deadlift 700 pounds? Is getting stronger really going to make you run faster? What about your mobility or flexibility? Maybe you are just strong and slow and need to add in some plyos and other speed work.

There is never a universal answer that is why you can not just be a strength guy or a kettlebell guy or whatever. It’s all just about picking the right tools for the job. And those tools may change from year to year.

So my general philosophy is to take everything out there that I find useful from gymnastics to strongman training, and apply it when needed in the appropriate situation.

MR: You have a new manual out now titled “Tapout;” what made you decide to write that, and who is it applicable to?

JF: I wrote the book a few years back and recently updated it with a bunch of additional information. I participated in some form of combat sport all my life, from Tae Kwon Do to wrestling to boxing to grapping. The thing is, like I mentioned earlier I was weak and slow and therefore sucked during my early years. Eventually when I learned how to train properly I was able to see a huge difference in my performance.

When I opened up my training facility, for some reason I attracted a lot of combat athletes. With my personality, these athletes, along with football players, are my favorite kind of athlete to train. Over the years I worked with several combat athletes and continually refined my training system always trying to get better results each and every year.

Eventually I was getting better results with these kinds of athletes than anyone else in my area and noticed that there was really a lack of training info out there for these guys. This was a much neglected sport, I felt. That was what led me to write the original version of the book a few years back.

In the book I cover strength training, conditioning, nutrition, injury prevention and many other things for combat athletes.

Tap Out is applicable to any martial artist, fighter, wrestler or mixed martial artist looking to real take their performance to the highest level.

MR: If you could give me a few tips, what in your mind is keeping most trainees from achieving their goals?

JF: Well, like I said before, I think focusing too much on one thing is always a recipe for disaster. I will use myself as an example. I like to go to the gym and lift heavy, all the time. But just focusing on max strength would mean I would be neglecting my mobility and flexibility so I would probably start to feel like crap. Lifting heavy all the time leaves you feeling beat up as well. And what about your work capacity, endurance, hypertrophy, prehab, etc?
Most people make this same mistake and just focus on what they like or are good at. You have to be sure to use a well rounded approach and do all the little stuff that you really don’t want to do but could make the biggest difference in the end.

Too many people train without any plan at all or a training journal. I think that is a mistake.
Too many people neglect nutrition. They try to get huge and swear that they are eating a ton but when someone forces them to write it down and add it up it’s only about 2500 calories. Not too many people can get huge on that. By the same token, people try to get lean by either eating too much or not eating enough, and actually shutting down their metabolism. You need to pay close attention to nutrition and until you really have it down, should probably be keeping a diet journal.

One last thing is this; a lot of people seem to not know how hard to train. What I mean by that is that there has been a lot written about the negatives associated with going to failure. So the baby got thrown out with the bathwater in a lot of cases and now you have people training like complete pussies. This is not a good thing either. You have to work hard. Don’t kill yourself or cause a nervous breakdown but you need to push yourself quite hard if you want to achieve beyond what most people think is possible.

On the other hand, if you are one of the rare people who hasn’t been warned about training to failure all the time, I should note that it is not the best idea to turn every set you do into a fight to the death that ends with you shaking and quivering for thirty seconds before collapsing in a heap. This does nothing but fry your CNS and slows down your progress.

MR: Ok, last one Jay; you have a kick-ass knowledge of music and your article on training music at Elite a while ago brought back old memories. What are you training to right now? Any good music we should know about?

JF: Oh man, you don’t want to get me started on this. We could be here all night, I’m obsessed with music. As far as training goes I listen to hard rock, metal and hip hop. Sometimes it’s a mix, other times it’s just one or the other. Right now I’m in a real hip hop phase.
Here’s what’s in high rotation in the gym lately:

Eric B. & Rakim- Run For Cover, Let the Rhythm Hit ‘Em

Naughty By Nature- 19 Naughty III, Sleepin on Jersey, Take it to Ya Face, Yoke the Joker, Poor Man’s Poetry

Ice Cube- How to Survive In South Central, Endangered Species (Tales From The Darkside), The Wrong Nigga to Fuck With, We Had To Tear This Mothefucker Up

LL Cool J- How I’m Coming

As for some new stuff, the title track to Jay Z’s new album Kingdom Come is an instant classic and Dig a Hole is pretty good too. Untouchable (Swizz Beatz Remix) on Tupac’s new album is also worth a listen.

MR: Good stuff Jay – how can our readers find out more about you?

JF: Thanks Mike. They can check out my website, www.J1Strength.com for more about me. Combat athletes can check out www.CombatConditioningSecrets.com . I also write for several magazines including Men’s Health and Maximum Fitness and I have my own monthly column in Men’s Fitness called The Hardgainer with a corresponding website called www.TheHardgainer.com where people can find my book called How to Get Jacked.

Keep It Simple, Stupid

"Hey Jay does your training system focus more on sarcoplasmic hypertropy or myofibrillar? Do you believe in hyperplasia? What fibers do you focus on hypertrophying? Type IIA, IIB, IIDD, type 36-26-36? How do you vary rep speed within a set to take advantage of the dynamic effort motor unit induced reverse dialysis of the brachialis which has been shown to cause paralysis of the urine analysis consumed post workout in the hopes of inoculating thermogenesis of the breastesses?"

HUH?!

These are the kinds of training questions I am asked on a daily basis. The one asking the questions is usually a 149 pound guy with one year of training experience and approximately 7,839,402 posts on his favorite online training forum where he has spent an equal amount of hours. He is an expert because although he hasn't trained anyone and has barely found time to train himself he can quote SuperTraining inside and out.

Newsflash, people: It aint that complicated!

In the last few days I have discussed this with some of the brightest minds in the business. First, I spent last week with one of the smartest guys in all of strength and conditioning, Alwyn Cosgrove. We discussed training and agreed that only 1% of the time will anyone ever need a super complicated, overly technical and" scientifically advanced" program.

Alwyn has the best fat loss program I have ever seen and it is very straightforward and easy to follow and understand. There is no crazy nonsense that he added just to impress the reader. That kind of shit drives me insane and I find it nearly impossible and completely mind numbing to read. AND I'M IN THIS INDUSTRY! I can't imagine how people who are not must feel. I did all that when I was coming up in the business, please don't make me do it again with long scientific diatribes that no one wants to read.

Afterburn is a scientifically sound program that delivers kick ass results, which I have seen first hand.

When I visited his gym last week I was blown away by the transformations his clients had made.

For more info about Alwyn's incredible fat loss programs click HERE now.

While I was out in Cali I also had the pleasure of meeting the great strength and conditioning coach, Robert Dos Remedios. Dos was discussing his new book with me and telling me how he has included a lot of unique stuff in there but for the most part it was all about the basics that everyone seems to forget about, or even sadder, not know about. No one wants to do what works anymore, they all seem to want the most complicated thing they can find. Dos and I were discussing some of these space aged methods and after commenting on one, both simultaneously said, "I don't even understand that shit." That's coming from a guy who has delivered incredible results with thousands of athletes for 20 years. Do you really think you need something more advanced than what he uses?

Absolutely not.

On the plane ride home I was discussing this same thing with my brother Jared who is around 240 pounds and deadlifts 600. I have trained with him or designed his programs for years. For a while he got caught up in the hype and wanted to do more "scientifically advanced" and overly complicated programs. That was when his progress came to a halt. When he returned to basics, his results skyrocketed again. He has never done anything else, since.

When I got home, I called my good friend Jim Wendler to see what he's been up to. We got to talking about training and sure enough the subject turned to the keyboard warriors who have the insatiable desire for the most advanced program on earth even though they only squat 185 and have 13 inch biceps and a bad case of carpal tunnel. For those that don't know, Jim has squatted 1003 pounds in competition! En route to that incredible feat he used about a dozen different exercises at the most and about...oh I'd say, zero space aged training methods.

After hanging up with Jim I received a call from another good friend and one of the top strength coaches in Minneapolis, Rob Duggan. I was telling him of the discussions I had with Dos and he was laughing hysterically. "Dude, I can't even bring myself to look at that shit anymore," he said, in reference to the over complicated training info we were discussing. "It just makes me sick."

I have seen Rob train tons of clients and I have trained with him. During one such workout he kicked my ass on the bench, repping out 365 like it was a joke. This is a guy who knows a thing or two about getting strong.

Last night I walked into the gym and saw my good buddy, John Alvino. John is one of the brightest guys in the field and has competed on the same stage as Jay Cutler, the current Mr. Olympia. He was already halfway through his workout. He wasn't counting some exotic tempo or using some kind of isoballistic miometric paused static dynamic reverse press squat jump. Nope, he was pulling and pushing heavy weights just like he did 12 or 13 years ago when he competed on stage with Cutler. When I tell him to check out some crazy science stuff just for a laugh his reply is always the same; "Bro, I just don't even have the heart to do it."

I have seen pro and world class athletes who have not needed an incredibly advanced program. Unless you are among the top 1% in the world, you probably will not need anything incredibly fancy to help you achieve your goals.

Lift heavy, lift fast, get a lot of rest and eat appropriately. If you are an athlete, combine that with some speed and agility work, being sure not to overtrain, and you will be way ahead of the pack.

It aint rocket science.

For a back to basics approach that delivers results every time and takes all the confusing science and guesswork out of the equation, check out How to Get Jacked: The Hardgainers Guide To Mind Blowing Muscle Gains by clicking HERE now.

How to Fast Track Your Career In the Fitness Industry

Last week I had the great pleasure of visiting my very good friend and colleague, Alwyn Cosgrove. Sometimes when you're close to someone you forget about their level of expertise or start to overlook it after a while.

For those who don't know, Alwyn is one of the leaders in the fitness industry and one of the most brilliant people around. I knew that Alwyn was the leading expert in the field when it comes to business coaching for fitness professionals but I really had an awakening to just how good he is this week. I visited his training facility, Results Fitness, for the first time to do staff training for his employees. To say I was impressed with what I saw would be an understatement.

From the moment I walked in I could tell that this was a highly successful, first class operation that was run flawlessly by Alwyn and his amazing wife, Rachel. He has systems in place and a business model that can't be beat. There was a great family like atmosphere in the gym that was noticeable immediately that would make all new members feel welcome in a hearbeat.

Alwyn and Rachel have done an outstanding job putting together the best staff I have ever seen in any fitness facility I have been to. Cameron, Mike, Erika, Hedge and Craig are an incredible group of people with amazing personalities and an undying passion to learn. I had the opportunity to speak to them and watch them work and interact with each other and I was genuinely impressed. They all have a great future in this business and I wish all of them the best and thank them for allowing me to share some of my experiences with them.

If you work in the fitness industry you owe it to yourself to read Alwyn's blog on a daily basis and to do a consultation with him. Whatever price you pay for his services will come back to you tenfold. It will be one of the best investments you could possibly make.

One of the reasons for my trip to Cali was to help my brother with his career. He has worked for me for years and is now ready to branch out on his own in the fitness industry. Since advice is always better taken when it comes from an outsider rather than a family member, I asked Alwyn for his help and he was more than willing to oblige. Not only did he oblige but he went the whole nine yards and did more than I could have ever imagined. The few days he spent with Alwyn have done way more for my brother than a year trying to do things on his own would have done.

We both learned a lot during our week with Alwyn, more of which I will share in subsequent posts this week, but the most important thing I can say to all fitness professionals is this:

If you want to advance your career in this industry, you absolutely can't afford not to do a consultation with Alwyn Cosgrove.

Determining Optimal Training Frequency

How often can you train a bodypart, muscle group or movement pattern?

Well that depends on quite a few different factors. How long have you been training? What are you training for? How strong are you? How is your recovery ability? Are you healthy or injured? What other physical activities do you engage in? What have you been doing in your workouts lately?

Let's address each of those and show why they are so important in determining this.

How long have you been training?
If you are a beginner you will always do full body workouts three days per week, no questions asked. If you are an intermediate you may switch to upper/lower splits and train four days per week or still three days, just spreading your two upper and two lower workouts over 9 days instead of 7. If you are advanced you may stick with this plan or perhaps do two upper and one lower workout per week. Or maybe you may do a pushing workout, a lower body workout and a pushing workout, or some variation of that.

What are you training for?
If it's mass, full body workouts work great. Then again so are upper/lower splits and even bodypart splits. If it's fat loss the usual inclination is to do full body workouts with exercises that burn the most calories. But this approach only works for a short time and is often flawed. The reason? If you are trying to lose fat, you are probably doing intervals and/or steady state cardio a few days per week. Add three days of squatting and lunging on top of another 3-4 days of riding the bike or sprinting and your knees will be screaming in no time.

I think the full body workouts are great to kick start a fat loss workout for beginners or intermediates and even certain advanced guys but eventually, and this may only take 3-4 weeks to happen, your knees will be shot. Unless, of course you are doing your intervals and weight training on the same day. Then you have a little longer to recover but the sheer volume is still the same and will lead to breakdown sooner or later. One option is to alternate one month periods of full body workouts with splits in the quest to uncover your abs.

How strong are you?
If you are very strong, and by that I mean strong for what your body can handle naturally, full body workouts are not really an option. If you can bench press over 300 pounds and squat over 400, there is no way it is healthy or smart to press or squat more than twice per week, for any length of time. Maybe you can do it and make great progress, but only for short periods of time. I do it on occasion when I am coming back from a layoff or as a change of pace but you simply can not EVER do this year round. Actually that is a statement for all lifters, beginners to advanced; you can not do full body workouts year round.

How is your recovery ability?
If your muscles ache and joints hurt after training you may need less frequency. Maybe you recovery incredibly well. Then you might need more.

Are you healthy or injured?
If you are healthy you can get away with pressing or squatting more frequently. But what if you are forty and have been training for over twenty years and your shoulders feel terrible. Guess what my friend? You're doing bodypart splits. You almost have no choice. Pressing twice a week is tough on healthy shoulders if you are strong and have a lot of years under your belt. But on bum shoulders, it's a nightmare. In a situation like this you would have to do one of the following two options:
Monday- Chest & Biceps
Wednesday- Legs, Abs, Calves
Friday- Back & Triceps

If your shoulders are really smoked and you need to relegate all shoulder irritation to just one day you may have to do chest and back on Monday and just biceps and triceps on Friday. That would give the shoulder more time to rest each week.

What other physical activities do you engage in?
If you play a sport or run sprints a few days a week, you probably can't recover from more than one lower body workout every 5-7 days. Now again, if you are a weak beginner you probably can. If you are an intermediate you would probably do best on 5 days and advanced guys would do better on 7, sometimes going heavy every 14.

What have you been doing in your workouts lately?
Usually the best thing to do in your next program is the opposite of what you have been doing for the last few months. I know this isn't the most scientific approach but in many cases it happens to be the truth.

As you can see, there is no cut and dried answer when it comes to determining the optimal training frequency or split. No split is optimal all the time. The best split is the one that addresses all of the concerns addressed above and even that will need to be changed eventually.
Ask yourself those questions and plan accordingly. Remember, failing to plan is planning to fail.

Train smart.

The Value Of Information

There is no more valuable commodity that someone could sell than information. Yet many fail to understand this. I want to point to a recent example of what happened on an internet forum when a colleague of mine announced the release of his new training manual.

The manual was set to sell at $39.95. In my opinion, this was ridiculously cheap for what he was offering. But low and behold there were people bitching about the price.

Are you kidding me?!

Let's say that he has a single 12 week program included in the manual. He told me that he personally charges somewhere in the neighborhood of $300 for a six week program. Double that and the cost is $600. That is the true value of that training manual. If I was desperately in need of that information and wanted to apply it to my workouts, that is what I would pay. Hell, I have paid many experts that much in the past when I was coming up in this industry as a kid. Yet people found the nerve to bitch about paying forty dollars for that?

If you want, more than anything else in the world, to shave ten strokes off your golf game, what monetary value would you place on achieving that goal? Is it worth more than forty bucks to you? Is the information that you need to get you to achieve that goal not an incredibly valuable commodity to you?

If you would kill to lose twenty pounds of fat in the next two months would you balk if I told you that a mere $60 or $100 investment was necessary to get you to achieve that goal?

What if you were insecure about being so small and skinny and weak? What value would you place on getting bigger and stronger. How much would you be willing to pay to gain twenty pounds?

I have been in that situation so I can answer. I would pay A LOT! If you said it would cost me a grand to go from 150 to 180 in the next three months, I would gladly hand you the money. That's how much I hated being skinny. And the one thing I didn't have at the time was the INFORMATION on how to get me there. But if you are going to give me a 12 week program with the information I need to achieve my goal, it is a no brainer.

There is nothing more valuable than information.

If the information needed to help you achieve a desired goal is not worth paying for or you see it as too expensive, then the goal must not really be that important to you.

If someone said to me, "I can tell you how to make an extra hundred grand next year but it's going to cost you five grand," I'm writing the check for five grand in two seconds. I DESPERATELY WANT THAT INFORMATION!

If you say you want to lose fifty pounds of fat or even ten or twenty, you need to look within yourself and ask yourself what is that really worth to you. How much better would you look and feel? How would it be to finally take off your shirt at the beach? What would it feel like to wear the clothes you always wished you could but didn't because you were too embarrassed? How great would it be to be feel attractive to the opposite sex again?

What is that really worth to you? Can you really put a price on your happiness and self esteem?

And if so don't you think that price tag should be a little more than forty bucks?