Sled Dragging

Sled dragging is my favorite kind of conditioning/cardio/energy system (am I forgetting anything here?) workout that there is. There are a million things you can do with the sled from sprinting to walking to crawling to pressing and pulling.

For strength gains, load the sled up with as many plates as you can handle and drag it as far as you can for 10-20 seconds. This can be done both forward and backward.

For speed development, load the sled lightly and do short sprints with it. If you are going for true speed, you should not use much weight, maybe just the empty sled or at most an additional 45. Anything that slows you down too much or throws off your technique is too heavy and can't technically qualify as pure speed training.

Sled dragging is also great as a form of active recovery. The day after a heavy squat workout, you could take an empty sled out for a walk, both forward and backward for 15-20 minutes to get some nutrient rich blood in the muscle which will help you recover faster.

If you are looking to really boost you conditioning in a hurry, you could do circuits of different exercises such as rows, presses and sprints with the sled with minimal rest between sets.

Another goal the sled will help you in accomplishing is losing bodyfat. To do this you can sprint, do circuits or just walk with the sled for 30-60 minutes. Summer is coming and there is no time like the present to start getting in shape. So break out your sled today and get to work.

Don't have a sled? Go to Elite Fitness Systems and order one now.

Underground Training Interview with Zach Even-Esh

Today we have part one of a new interview with my friend and colleague, the Underground Strength Coach, Zach Even-Esh.

Zach, tell us how you learned about “Underground” training?

ZE – Well, without a doubt, my very first days of training at a gym always leave me with the recollection of George, a jacked dude who was built like he was carved from stone. This guy was solid muscle! He never did what the rest of us did. He trained his own way, his own style and he never cared what others said to him.

I still remember to this day watching him spend over 30 or 45 minutes on one movement! I would be finishing a workout and he was still training one movement! I remember watching him do endless sets of weighted dips, or flat benching or weighted pull ups. Back then I never saw anyone perform weighted bodyweight exercises except George. But, his arms were busting through his sleeves and his traps were stretching his shirts out big time!

My memories reminded me after many years of training by the rules, that to get seriously strong and jacked, there truly are NO rules!

And now that you follow this “NO Rules” philosophy is this how Underground training evolved?

ZE – Exactly. My friend, Ryan Lee, was interviewing me one day about my training methods, and he asked me what best describes what I do. I flat out told him I don’t follow the majority of what people say or advise on doing because it usually doesn’t even work in the real world! All my training was taking place in garages, back yards, playgrounds, fields, parking lots, etc. – the only way I could describe what I do was by calling it “Underground”.

Take us through an Underground workout that one of your athletes would follow.

ZE – Most of my athletes are Football players and wrestlers. I also consult with BJJ and MMA fighters. The workouts, I hate to say, are always different according to what the individual needs to work on at that point in time. This isn’t a cop out, it’s true, but, I’ll give you a sample of an off season workout our wrestlers might go through.

1) warm up with mobility, movement drills and calisthenics. This might include skipping, galloping, mobility drills such as bird dogs, fire hydrants, hip bridges and various arm circles. After a thorough warm up we then begin the workout
2A) Trap bar DL 5 x 3 – 6 reps
2B) Recline thick rope body rows 5 x max reps
2C) abdominal movement 5 x 12 – 15 reps
3A) rope climb up & down 3 x 15 ft.
3B) sledge hammer swings across right & left shoulder 3 x 10 ea.
3C) sandbag zercher carry around back yard 3 x 1 lap

We will finish the workouts with soft tissue work on the foam roller and the medicine ball.

Some workouts are all indoors, others all outdoors and some are a mix as you saw above.

What is the biggest misconception people have of Underground training?

ZE – People assume we do only odd object lifts and don’t use barbell and dumbbells or other tools. This is totally off. We use everything because everything works. The odd objects hit the body in places that barbells and dumbbells simply have not or can not do.

Things like starting off a sandbag squat and ripping it off the floor. Every first rep is a power move that benefits the performance more than if we normally back squat and nothing else. The variety of implements helps us keep fresh as well. Eventually, people get bored of doing the same old stuff or training in the gym all the time! Training outdoors in the fresh air kicks ass! This is why Arnold and Franco and the rest of the crew loved training at Muscle Beach. The atmosphere and outdoor energy was electric!

In your Underground Strength Kit, you have a separate manual solely dedicated to stone training! I thought it was awesome and I was shocked to see so many movements with just a stone! What motivated you to begin stone training?

ZE – Of course, watching The World’s Strongest Man competitions was always an inspiration, but in addition to the WSM, there were times when I was really strapped for cash and had nothing but a barbell and a few dumbbells.

At the time I trained at my Dad’s, and his backyard had a row of odd shaped stones of different sizes. I started using them with wrestlers, football players and basketball players. I didn’t have a choice, I needed weights!

To my surprise, the stone training was phenomenal. We started simple by just doing carries from one end of the backyard to the other. We did military presses, bent over rows and deadlifts.

Strength was improving like crazy and they all were improving performance. Our football guys were playing in summer camps and were hitting harder, running faster and getting tougher.

The basketball players were out-conditioning their opponents and always had the strength and power endurance to rebound the ball more often and had improved defense.

The wrestlers were dominating like never before! They were lifting kids and throwing them around like rag dolls. I was seriously in shock watching my athletes perform and hearing their success stories.

I knew we landed onto something big by combining these Underground methods with the barbells, dumbbells and bodyweight!

To this day I keep on refining the methods and transforming athletes and non athletes with these methods that I have in The Underground Strength Kit.

As for my self, these methods have breathed fresh air into my workouts, literally! Training outdoors clears my mind and gets me away from the BS inside 99 % of the commercial gyms. I feel fresh air is man and woman’s best friend and we should ALL spend time training outdoors. There is a lot of therapy that comes with training Underground and humans need it!

With all the stress we endure on a regular basis, people will realize that training outdoors makes them feel great. Sun and fresh air are powerful therapeutic tools for all people, adults or not.

In fact, I just had a Mom contact me for the second time to get her kid back here again. They live so far away that it takes them 45 minutes to an hour to drive here, one way! So I sent them to a friend who trains athletes but lives 10 minutes away!

They want to come back here! The Mother told me her son loves the Underground training, the atmosphere, the outdoors and everything we do! For young athletes, this style of training seems to be a huge boost to their ego as well. I feel this is a huge area we are missing the boat on when it comes to training young athletes – the need to train their mind first and foremost. Boosting their self esteem is a priority and I have been fortunate beyond belief to see how happy these kids are when we train together!
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Stay tuned for part II with our interrogation with Zach Even – Esh and his Underground Training Methods!

If you want to learn more about Underground training in the mean time, check out Zach’s latest kick ass ebook by clicking HERE now.

Random Thoughts

• Why does New York City, the birthplace of hip hop, have the worst hip hop radio stations and clubs anywhere in the country?
  
  
• Why does New York City, the place where everyone is supposed to have a chip on their shoulder and a bad attitude, not have one single hardcore gym or anything that resembles one? Where are all these angry, bad ass New Yorkers supposed to train?
  
  
• Why don't all the homeless people in New York City go south for the winter? I mean if you have nothing else to do all day, why not walk south? Instead of sleeping on a sidewalk in ten degree weather, sleep on the beach in seventy degree weather. That would only make sense to me. I'm not condoning homelessness or making fun of it, I'm just suggesting a smarter approach to surviving the winter. Being homeless in South Beach has got to beat being homeless in New York City.
  

Planned Overtraining

Planned overtraining or in geek terms, over reaching, is something that a lot of coaches and trainers have recommended over the years. Basically you overtrain your body for three weeks straight while never allowing complete recovery. Verkoshansky stated that the greater the decrease in performance (strength, speed, vertical jump, etc.) during the loading phase, the greater the supercompensation effect will be during the unloading phase. The goal is actually to shoot for a 10-15% decrease in performance.

Now call me crazy but why would I want to waste three weeks trying to do what I could do in one? If I overtrain, or train without complete recovery (for all the people out there who believe that overtraining doesn't exist) for three weeks straight I will get weaker, maybe smaller, possibly come down with the flu or something similar and have pounded my body with heavy weights for no apparent reason.

If I wanted to be 10-15% weaker, it wouldn't take me three weeks of lifting heavy weights and sacrificing my immune system and nervous system. It would only take me one week in Jamaica, smoking, drinking and staying up partying all night. I should know, I've done it. And I've come back 10-15% weaker every time. Saved two weeks accomplishing my goal and had a lot more fun.

Look into it.

Another thing to think about when it comes to planned overtraining is that what is being suggested is that your nervous system will get a supercompensation effect. Your NERVOUS SYSTEM...will get a supercompensation effect. Think about that, reread it. Now that is priceless comedy right there.

Also, this model usually suggest three weeks of planned overtraining and a one week deload. So basically you are getting one good training week out of four, right? Or three months out of twelve are actually beneficial.

There can be huge benefits to alternating periods of higher intensity with lower intensity with corresponding levels of overall volume but planned overtraining, where the goal is a to achieve a drop in performance, doesn't seem to pan out or make much sense in the real world.

If you still are convinced that a 10-15% drop in performance will result in a huge rebound effect, don't waste three weeks. Get a 30 pack and have at it. After staying up all night, head to the gym and test your max. I'm sure you will find that you accomplished your goal...

"When You're Ten Years In, Holla Back Then"

I checked my voicemail one day last week and had a message from a good friend of mine saying, "Dude, I almost fell out of my chair when I was reading an online training forum the other day and saw your name on there right in the mix with all the pencil necks. What kind of loser are you turning into? Actually, what kind of loser am I turning into even being on those training forums?"

Both, good questions. And I plead guilty as charged. I got sucked in once or twice in my life. My friend still won't return my calls though. So I guess his embarassment is even eclipsing mine.

Online training forums are filled with 146 pound guys who carry a protactor, compass, metronome and a copy of the pythagorean theorem with them to the gym. They need to be sure that everything is at exactly the proper angle, that they are facing the right direction (based on time of day) and that their 4683 tempo is perfect. That is if they ever actually make it to the gym, of course. Most of them are too busy arguing training principles on the internet with some 17 year old kid in Kansas who has nothing better to do than quote The Science and Practice of Strength Training all day long.

There is no bigger waste of your time than to argue with people on an online training forum. Don't do it. Anyone who has more than ten years of experience and the results to back up what they say is not spending time on message boards. If someone is really busy training clients and gaining experience you will not ever see them on training forums.

For example, how many times have you seen Joe DeFranco, CJ Murphy or John Alvino on a training forum?

I'll give you a hint. Almost never.

They are too busy getting results with real clients in the real world. And for them to argue training with someone who just started lifting last year but has read every Russian manual ever printed is ridiculous.

That would be like me arguing film making with Steven Spielberg and telling him that I thought there were a lot things wrong with how he did Saving Private Ryan.

In college I took several acting and film classes. I even had a film I made get voted into a big film festival and it finished in the top ten.

So I am just as qualified as he is, right?

Obviously you can see how ridiculous this line of thinking is but it doesn't seem to be so to those that live on their favorite training forums.

All it takes is cute little nickname like LegPressLarry07 and you're an instant authority.

Before you get on a training forum again to watch kids argue about actin and myosin and debate neural vs. metabolic fatigue, ask yourself how many times any of the following guys have ever done the same. In fact, ask yourself how many of these guys have actually read all those studies and can quote them like the 225 pound squatting keyboard warriors out there:

• Chuck Vogelpohl- 1000 pound squat @ 220
• Travis Mash- Alltime greatest 220 pound powerlifter
  
• Ronnie Coleman- 8 time Mr. Olympia
• Jay Cutler- Current Mr. Olympia
  
• Mariusz Pudzianowski- Worlds Strongest Man
• Bill Kazmaier- Most Famous Strongman Competitor of all time
  
• Magnus Ver Magnusson- Legendary Strong Man Competitor
  
• Buddy Morris- Brilliant NFL and NCAA strength coach, currently at Pitt
• Joe Kenn- Award winning strength coach of Arizona State University

See what I mean?

We should have a rule that would make online training forums much better. The rule should state that you are not allowed to post on training forum until you have ten years training experience.

Like Jay Z said, "when you're ten years in, holla back then."

In Season Training For Combat Athletes

The following is a small excerpt from TAP OUT about in season training for combat athletes:
*****************

During the competitive high school or college wrestling season it is impossible for most athletes to train and recover from more than two days per week. During this time, the goal of training should be only to maintain what has been gained during the off season. Trying to gain size, speed or strength during the season is a fruitless effort and actually will do you more harm than good.

During the season I use a few different options. One is to have one day be a strength day and the other day a hypertrophy day. One speed exercise such as a jump or Olympic lift can be included as the first exercise on either day. Again, remember that we are only trying to maintain these qualities here.

Another option is to combine the two qualities on two different full body days, again with speed probably only being included on one day. Finally, the third option is for those who athletes who are forced by their coaches to do an inordinate amount of running and calisthenics in practice every day. With this option we have one lower body day and one upper body day per week. More often than not, this is the system I use with most guys because wrestling coaches love to pummel their athletes into the ground.

This would be the ideal way for MMA athletes to train when approaching a fight. Since many MMA competitors can often train for up to six hours per day, their recovery ability will be limited and therefore their time in the weight room should reflect that.

For more info click HERE.


“Jason Ferruggia will wake you up BIG TIME with Combat Conditioning Secrets. It is this kind of thinking and on target training that will take you to the next level at warp speed. The information in this manual is a must have for the serious mixed martial artist! I have known Jason for quite some time so it doesn’t surprise me to see such in-depth material from him. I say “Why make the mistakes and experience the pitfalls that others have when you can learn from someone and get on the fast track to success from Day 1?” Be ready to kick some serious ass once you start utilizing these methods!”
Zach Even - Esh
Performance Enhancement Coach


"Training with Jason throughout my high school wrestling career (in which I wrestled all the way up from 130 my freshman year to 215 my senior year) helped me set the school record for most career wins including a nearly undefeated senior year."
Mike Schwalb
All time winningest wrestler in Pingry High School (NJ) history

http://www.combatconditioningsecrets.com

Don't Miss the Teleseminar Tonight

Tonight at 9pm eastern time, I am doing a special teleseminar with Zach Even Esh of UndergroundStrengthCoach.com.

Zach will reach through the phone lines and try to choke my best combat conditioning secrets out of me.

==> http://www.UndergroundTeleseminars.com/jasonf


While I can't give up ALL of my best combat conditioning secrets that my athletes use to dominate their compeition, I will divulge quite a few of these tips and techniques,

==> http://www.UndergroundTeleseminars.com/jasonf

I gotta tell you though, on Zach's last Underground Teleseminar, 253 people signed up for the call and only 96 were able toget on the lines!!!

That means that you better hurry up if you want to get in on this special teleclass with me and Zach Even-Esh.

We are only taking the first 50 questions so if you want a chance at getting your questions answered you better get overto this link quickly.
==> http://www.UndergroundTeleseminars.com/jasonf

Even after you are signed up make sure that you call in tomorrow night at least 5 minutes early so you can guarantee your spot!

I'll be waiting to share some of my best combat conditioning secrets.
See you tonight!
--Jason Ferruggia

==> http://www.UndergroundTeleseminars.com/jasonf

'I heard about the incredible results everyone was getting training with Jay so I had to find out for myself. After five months with him I had the best wrestling season of my life and was able to throw around larger opponents that used to have their way with me. It was also the first time in four years that I stayed injury free all season. Thanks Jay.'
-Anthony C (NCAA Wrestler)

Register today==> http://www.UndergroundTeleseminars.com/jasonf


"As a performance coach I'm alwas looking for "go-to" resources when it comes to training athletes. As it is, you simply can't train every athlete or compete in every sport, which is why you need guys like Jason Ferruggia on your side.

In Tap Out, Jason covers every aspect of training combat athletes, from strength to conditioining, to diet and making weight. He has outlined all the factors that can make you successful and how to maximize your performance each and every time you enter the ring.
Weather you are a coach, athlete, or somewhere in between, Tap Out can take your performance to the next level."
Mike Robertson, MS, CSCS, USAW
RobertsonTrainingSystems.com

"Jay, I have read all there is on strength and conditioning for combat sports and must tell you that your book, Tap Out is the most thorough compilation I have ever come across. Great work."
John DeSanti

The Proof is in the Pudding

Training volume, like frequency and intensity should always be cycled. However, that doesn't mean that high volume training is ever necessary. There are plenty of people out there who still believe they should be in the gym six days a week, doing 25-40 sets per workout. This couldn't be further from the truth.

Like I have always said, less is more. But don't get it twisted, low volume does not equal HIT, the two are not synonymous.

To serve up some more proof that low volume training is the way to go, let' s take a look at just a small sample of highly successful lifters, coaches or training programs (in no particular order) that advocate an average of about 12 sets per workout.

1. Dorian Yates- One of the biggest and most successful bodybuilders of all time. 1-2 sets per exercise, 10-12 sets per workout.
   
   
2. Jim Wendler- An enormous and inhumanly strong son of a bitch, who squats 1003 pounds and always uses a minimalist approach in his training. It's not unusual for Jim to do 5 sets and go home.
   
   
3. Matt Kroczaleski- A lean 250 pound powerlifter who won the Arnold Classic with a 926 pound squat, 617 pound bench press and 733 pound deadlift. He also does an average of 9 sets per workout.
   
   
4. Alwyn Cosgrove- Probably the smartest and most well read man in the entire fitness industry. Recommends an average of 12 sets per workout.
   
   
5. Marc Bartley- At 275 pounds, Marc has squatted 1058, bench pressed 700 and pulled 722. He rarely does anything close to high volume.
   
   
6. Ian King- A very influential and brilliant coach who made people question high volume training with his first series of popular articles back in the late 90's. His highest volume workouts are usually 12 sets, max.
   
   
7. John Alvino- One of the most successful, experienced and well read trainers anywhere in the world, John rarely advocates high volume training with any of his clients and his results are usually among the best I have ever seen. He also trained with Dorian Yates and competed against Mr. Olympia, Jay Cutler doing 12-15 sets per workout.
   
   
8. Bill Starr- One of the legends of the strength game and the man who made 5x5 the most famous set and rep scheme ever. The basis of this program was three exercises for a grand total of fifteen sets. There is a reason it is still popular today.
   
   
9. Ed Coan- One of powerlifting's all time great legends who possesses a 1038 pound squat, 578 pound bench press and incredible 901 pound deadlift. Ed is also known for his extremely low training volume.
   
   
10. Joe DeFranco- One of the best and most highly successful trainers in the world who has worked with countless athletes of all levels. Joe has most of his guys lift three days per week and rarely writes a workout that exceeds 12-15 sets. In fact, I don't think he ever does.
    
    
11. Skip LaCour- The biggest, strongest and most famous drug free bodybuilder of all time. Like Yates, LaCour only does 1-2 sets per exercise of a few different exercises, and that's it. He stresses the importance of lifting heavy and keeping your training volume low as the most important thing you can do in your quest to get bigger and stronger.
    
    
12. Robert Dos Remedios- One of the smartest and most experienced strength coaches in the game today. Dos has worked with more athletes than 99% of all coaches out there and is among the best in his field. He never does a workout consisting of more than 15 sets.
    
    
13. John McCallum- In my opinion the best writer in the history of the iron game. John was famous for his series of articles back in the 70's known as The Keys To Progress. Most of his workouts were based around a set or two of squats and a few sets of pushing and pulling. Low volume and simplicity were the basis for his theories and plenty of people had incredible success with his programs.
    
    
14. Randall J. Strossen/ Super Squats- The old 20 rep squat programs were wildly popular back in the day and this was the book that really brought their popularity to the masses. Thousands of people worldwide, including myself and many of my training partners at the time packed on slabs of muscle from these incredibly short workouts which consisted of 6-10 sets, total.
    
    
15. Leo Costa/ Serious Growth- Leo is a lifetime drug free bodybuilder who brought his weight up to around 270+ pounds by keeping his workouts short and sweet. Not only that, but he has a loyal following of thousands who have experienced similar results. These workouts usually average 12 sets total.
    
    
16. Dante Trudel/ Doggcrapp- Dante is a well known trainer from Southern California who has gained an enormous cult like following on the internet due to the success of his training programs. His clients gain an average of 47 pounds of muscle in their first year. Total number of sets per workout? 5-8.

There are plenty more examples out there but I think you get the point.

To learn more about the benefits of low volume training, visit www.thehardgainer.com.

Train smart.

Good Stuff

If you are from my home state, you will enjoy this site. If not, you still might...

Be sure to take the quiz, half way down the home page.

"Bodybuilding is for men who wax their bodies and traipse around in bikinis. I train." ---Henry Rollins

I have another great post from my friend Dave Tate today. Either you get it or you don't.
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I will not be as "others"

Came into work today the same as I have any other day over the past month, to much to do and not enough time. I do however get the most important shit done and that's all that matters.

I made my way into Jim's office and he stated "Not training again today". Maybe he noticed I was wearing my "good" t-shirt and sweat pants and took this as a clue. It took me about 2 seconds to tell him "nope, just not my thing right now."

He then told me that this "was" my thing. I had to think for a minute then got what he was saying. This is the thing when you speak to someone with a zillon.5 IQ. You need to stop and think sometimes because much it meant when little is said.

What he was saying is that I do not know how to "workout" and may have never "worked out" in my life. What I do is "train" and there is a difference.

I am writing this because most who read this site "train" and do not "workout". We who "train" are not as "others" who just go to the gym and do their thing. Our rules are pretty damn simple and we always manage to get the job done better than the "others" .

We know the golden rule to success is busting our asses into the ground. We make training such a high priority that life becomes scheduled around it. We understand weak points are developed from NOT doing the shit we do not like to do - so we do it.

We love it when the set gets hard and the weight get heavy. We understand this shit is supposed to be hard and the road will not be easy and figure - so be it. We may read all the training science and logic but always resort back to the same damn thing that has always worked - busting our asses.

Pain is measured by lack of progress not injuries.

We think about training when we get up in the morning and when we go to bed at night.

We love the sound of another plate being slapped on the bar, or the thud of dumbbells hitting the ground. The gym is our place to do what we do, not wish about what we could be. We know when to turn it on and when....to turn it off.

I am in one of the "off" phases and unless I am going to go in the gym and bust my ass 100% then I am not going. To me it is freaking pointless. I would rather give 100% to something else at this time then give 50% in the gym. I refuse to give 50% in the gym because this is what "others" do and I fucking refuse to be like that, ever! I had to give up many things in my training over the years but I will not give up busting my ass and be like every other lazy ass person who goes in the gym and gives a half ass effort. Worse yet, being in the industry, making my living in the industry and living a lie training like a half piece of shit. You can quote me on this one. The day I can no longer "train" and bust my ass in the gym with passion will be the same day I will remove myself from this industry. Training to me deserves respect and not half ass efforts. I train not as much for the process as I do for the result. I will do what I have to do to get the results I am looking for. ,I will do what I gotta do when I have to do it.

This is training to me. Training is about busting your ass for something others avoid because the road is too hard. Working out is an activity - a verb. Training is more than a verb. It is a way of life. To give my training the respect it deserves I recharge and will return when I feel ready to go all out.

To me working out is not an option. This is what "others" do and I will resist this with all I have.
I train and train my ass off because this is what I do. This is the life I choose and the decision I made. I am not in this to be like "others". I am in this to push myself to places I have not been before - to push the edge. I will never get to see what is over the edge by "working out". I will never find what I seek by the number of "workouts" I get in or how long I can do cardio for. I will never be satisfied with the same results anyone else can get.

I am not the guy to show you how to "workout". I am not the one who can help you take the first step. I am not the one to motivate you to begin. I could care less about this. Hell, I have not trained people in years. I post this log so you can see what it takes for me to get the results I do (or not). I post this so you know you are not alone in your passion.

I know what it is like to be surrounded by "others". I know what it feels like when everyone is on your ass about "what you do". I know what it feels like when NO ONE understands. I know how it feels to think life is what happens in the gym and everything else is just intermission. Trust me. I know. We are not alone in our passion yet it seems so.

So for the other two people out there - know I am with you. I train because it is what keeps me from being like the rest. Training is my way to not be like the "others". I am not writing this to try and change the world but so the world does not change me - it is that simple. Okay, I just made a huge post in an attempt to make an excuse for not training. But, I have never hidden that fact that I have two speeds - blast and dust. That's it and that is the way I am. In time you will see me blasting again, just not yet.

Fat Loss Interview with Alwyn Cosgrove

Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of summer is only 16 weeks away which makes it the perfect time to get serious about your training and diet. For those of you who need to lose a significant amount of bodyfat in that time frame, I suggest you pay attention to what fat loss expert, Alwyn Cosgrove has to say...

JF: First of Alwyn, thanks for taking the time to sit down with us today. I want to talk to you about fat loss and hear some of your thoughts on this much debated subject. First of all what are some of the biggest misconceptions out there about dieting and training for fat loss? What do most people do wrong?

AC: There are two main mistakes Jay – and it might seem like a contradiction but it’s really true. The first is making too many changes to your program and diet – in other words, you stop doing the most effective exercises and rep ranges, and cut your calories or carbs way too much. Everything that works to build muscle – activate as much muscle mass as possible, multiple muscle groups with good form and decent weight – will also burn a shitload of calories and create “metabolic disturbance” – this is perfect for fat loss phases.The other main problem I see is people not changing anything BUT diet. The recent trend” has been “Training doesn't change at all - just your diet.”Really?How does the diet change?"Set protein at 1g per lb and fat at 30%. The rest comes from carbs"Hmmm. So your fat loss program and your sports conditioning programand your hypertrophy program are the same exercises, same protein,same fats, the only difference is the amount of carbs? Then you probably don't have too many before and after pics to support yoursystem do you, you training genius ?

JF: Hahaha, great point. What are some of the biggest time wasters when it comes to training and dieting for fat loss?

AC: The biggest ones are very low calorie diets (they just slow metabolism down too much) and low intensity steady state aerobics. You need to keep the “furnace” (your metabolism) cranking. The goal as I call it is “metabolic disturbance” – burn as many calories through training as possible but use a system that will elevate metabolism through EPOC significantly for several hours. Low intensity cardio (even on an empty stomach) just doesn’t fit in there.

JF: How does the weight training which you prescribe for a fat loss client differ from that of some one who is trying to get bigger or stronger? Or does it remain the same and you just change the diet and add in more cardio?

AC: It depends on the client and the amount of fat to lose really. With the beginner/ intermediate client I have NEVER seen these massive amounts of muscle loss that everyone is afraid of on fat loss programs. With these groups I use upper-lower supersets with slightly higher rep brackets.

With more advanced clients muscle loss can be a problem – but it is easily offset by doing 1-2 heavy sets of 4-6 reps as your first couple of exercises and then moving into a similar program as described above.

JF: I like that idea.

AC: I’ve been experimenting recently with an undulating periodization approach for more advanced fat loss clients and it has been extremely effective. It’s going to be the focus of Afterburn II when I get my finger out!

JF: What are your favorite methods of cardio/energy system work for losing fat?

AC: Interval training is obviously the way to go, but I like to use non-traditional methods of doing so – i.e. bodyweight circuits, sled dragging, barbell complexes etc. Again it’s all about creating that metabolic disturbance that I was talking about. Walking on the treadmill has its place – but it’s not in one of my fat loss programs.

JF: Is there a difference in the way you train females for fat loss versus the way you train males for fat loss?

AC: Not really although I tend to see more pure beginner females than I do males. So that alters the programs somewhat.

JF: What kind of diets do you prefer for fat loss and how do you determine what to prescribe to a given client?

AC: I like to use a low-JUNK diet for fat loss. It ends up being low carb, as most of the crap people eat come from refined carbs, but in reality I never restrict fruits and vegetables, or good carbs. A lot of stuff gets written about how many grams per pound etc, and how many calories pre and post workout…..and to be honest – most of the people writing this stuff are clearly not working with anyone real. An average fat loss client arrives at my gym typically eating 2 meals a day and about 30g of protein (and no breakfast). So am I supposed to cut their calories? And add training to it? No way.

I just recommend that these people eat 4-5 meals per day from a list of “approved” foods (ie proteins, vegetables, oatmeal etc) and try to hit a higher protein intake. The diet then builds itself without having to focus on numbers. Calorie control is important, but it’s rarely an issue with beginners in my experience.

JF: Your Afterburn training system is one of the best fat loss systems I have seen. What kind of results can people expect to obtain by following the programs you have in there?

AC: Coming from you that means a lot – as you’ve probably seen everything that’s out there. Afterburn is a 16-week periodized program that includes 3-4 weight training sessions each week, with 3-4 interval training sessions and a diet program. A 16 week commitment to fat loss is no joke though. I’d expect someone following the program closely to lose between 16-32lbs of fat on the program EASILY.

JF: Sounds great. Thanks so much for the awesome info Alwyn. We look forward to hearing more from you soon.

AC: Thanks Jay.

To start getting shredded for summer, pick up a copy of Afterburn right now.

How to Get More Calories In

A common complaint I hear from people is that they can't eat enough. Believe me, I feel your pain. It is difficult to consume all the calories needed to grow enormously bigger and stronger. Here are two tricks I use to help overcome this problem.

1. Eat high glycemic index carbohydrates. You know how you eat Chinese food and are hungry again an hour later? That is because the white rice is a very high GI food. It is rapidly digested and absorbed into the blood stream. If you have trouble eating enough, focus on white rice, white potatoes and white bread as your carb sources. It's not the healthiest thing in the world but neither is being 80 pounds over your natural bodyweight; you have to make some sacrifices sometimes. Eating like this will insure that you you never feel completely full for too long and are frequently hungy.
   
   
2. Consume tons of oil. The easiest way to get more calories is to add a tablespoon or two of oil to each meal you eat. Flax, pumkin seed, hemp, macadamia and olive oil are all good sources of unsaturated fat and will help get your calories up. Each tablespoon is 140 calories so you can see how quickly they add up. Take two a day with five meals and you have an additional 1400 calories in your diet.Simply mix them up at each meal and rotate through each of them on a daily basis.
   

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
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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.