The Legend of Qui-Gon Jinn

Qui-Gon Jinn vs. Darth Maul

           In the era before the Empire, there was a noble Jedi named Qui-Gon Jinn. He was a Jedi Master who was an ambassador of peace and a trainer of many young padawans. In the famed Theed Palace, Qui-Gon and his apprentice Obi-Wan fought an astonishing lightsaber battle with a vicious Sith Lord named Darth Maul. During the fight, Obi-Wan was separated from the two and Qui-Gon engaged the Sith Lord alone. When the two foes were separated by an energy barrier, Qui-Gon knelt and meditated to restore his essence while Maul paced back and forth like a caged animal. When the energy barrier dropped, the two battled once more and, unfortunately, Maul was the superior combatant.

           Shortly thereafter, Obi-Wan returned to the fray and was almost bested by Maul as well. However, overconfidence and arrogance proved to be the dark lord’s undoing. Maul is slain, tumbles into the abyss, and Obi-Wan races to his fallen master. Even in death, Qui-Gon’s final words are for Obi-Wan to train young Anakin Skywalker as Qui-Gon believes he is the chosen one who will bring balance to the Force. Qui-Gon is correct. Anakin is the chosen one but it takes a full generation for the wise Jedi to be proven correct.

           Now, you may be reading this going, “Ryan, how does this have anything to do with weight lifting?” Like always, stick with me. I am building to something here.

Qui-Gon in meditation

           Qui-Gon Jinn was an ambassador, an emissary, a negotiator, a mentor, a teacher, and a combatant only when all other avenues were exhausted. Darth Maul was trained for one purpose: to kill Jedi. On that fateful day, Qui-Gon was bested by a superior combatant. There is absolutely no shame in that. The guy was just better. But even in his death, Qui-Gon was selfless and thinking of others.

           Maul meets his end because is silently gloating and lording over Obi-Wan Kenobi, just waiting for the next kill. He is overconfident and he dies because of his arrogance. We see Qui-Gon laid to rest in the funeral pyre but there is no funeral for Maul. He is not mourned.

           I think it is only natural as training progresses that you are going to start looking around the gym. There is always going to be someone out there that is bigger, stronger, faster, more defined, and has less body fat than you. There is always going to be someone better. You may look at pictures of people posting selfies on Instagram or see these fitness models and become discouraged because you are comparing yourself to them. And yet, you don’t know the filters applied, if the pics were professionally taken, Photoshopped, or what went down before that pic was taken. Remember, it is a highlight reel.   

           This is why I have often said that you don’t want to just be known as a bodybuilder. It is great to have a muscular physique (that goes for men and women) but it is better to know the science of how it was achieved. It is better to put in the work day in and day out so you can appreciate every block of stone laid to build your pyramid. What did you have to study and learn to achieve this look? Are you just a body? Have you counterbalanced this by studying philosophy, theology, or a few self-help books? Have you cultivated an artistic side? Admired art? Spent time with friends? Enjoyed life?

           This is where you have to ask yourself: What are you training for?

           If you are like me and the answer is “To be a better me,” that involves not just lifting weights but studying nutrition and finding ways to improve. Do you want to be a Sith Lord that just exterminates Jedi? That seems like an empty and hollow existence and – news flash – there is always going to be someone better than you.

           Or do you want to be the Jedi that is helpful and selfless and in tune with the universe? That person is confident in who he (or she) is and is happy with the levels of improvement that they are creating in all aspects of their lives. Now, go forth and do likewise. Enjoy your Friday.

Training as Therapy

           Someone once said, “Poor people don’t go to therapy. Poor people drink.” I feel this is a pretty accurate statement. When things were really bad for me, I did seek out counselling. My job offered this wellness program where anyone could go and see a shrink and they would pay for three one hour sessions. So I did my three free sessions and that was about it. I didn’t feel like a got a whole lot out of it (how can a therapist get to know you in three hours?) and I wasn’t any better for having been there.

           I know a lot of people turn to drugs as an escape. I live a pretty sheltered life. I wouldn’t even know where to score drugs if I wanted to but I cannot stand smoking and I have a nightmarish aversion for needles which pretty much rules me out as a drug abuser.

           I have seen the staggering downward spiral that drinking can cause and I want no part of it. I am not anti-alcohol or anything but I need a reason to celebrate if I am going to knock back a few beers. And it can’t be, “Hey, the day ends in ‘y’!” I’ve had the same bottle of wine in my fridge that I was saving for the season six finale of Game of Thrones.

           I knew I was serious about my training when I met some friends at a bar last month to socialize and I had water. Before you start with all the “L7 wienie” comments (Sandlot reference ftw!), I was sitting their calculating the calories and how beer is basically liquid bread. But I was there more for the company than the drinking anyway so it all worked out.

           I think people turn to drugs and alcohol because they hate their life. Truth be told, I enjoy my life very much. Why would I want to escape it? Still you have to find some sort of outlet for your stress. I have often said that I use things like Photoshop as my therapy. It appeals to my meticulous nature. I also do some painting and other artistic endeavors. Obviously writing is a great stress reliever. World of Warcraft helps. But at the end of the day, nothing has helped me deal with stress more than working out. The reasons for this are several.

           First, I go hard in the gym. I am talking dripping sweat and out-of-breath hard. For this reason, everything at my 9-to-5 seems easy by comparison. The stress of dealing with angry customers or inept bank officers is inconsequential compared to the strain of a massive deadlift. So it makes the stresses of my job easier to tolerate.

           Second, being physically exhausted certainly makes sleep easier to achieve and a good night’s sleep makes the next day a lot easier to face.

           Thirdly, stress can often be used as a fuel to reach new plateaus. The Dalai Lama often preaches about how hate destroys the vessel that carries it, so you vent that frustration by transforming that hate into one or two more reps. As your body begins to transform, those extra reps start generating joy.

           Yoda warned us fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering. I think working out generates the opposite effect. Hate leads to reps, reps leads to transformation, transformation leads to happiness. Once you start to see those traps begin to develop and those abs begin to pop, you think back about all the hurt and pain you were going through and you actually appreciate the pain that pushed you to that next level. Then you admire the results of your hard work all the more.

           People often look at going to the gym as a chore or a task. I bound through the door with energy thinking, “It is time to go to work!” It all depends on how you look at things. Hopefully reading this will skew your perspective a little and make you look at that iron a little differently. Don’t look at it as an obstacle to conquer. Look at it as a tool to fashion you into a weapon.   

Verifying a Need for Glutamine

           Ah, Labor Day. My diet during this past three day weekend was best described as “unsupervised child at a birthday party.” I did donuts, brownies, and pizza for dinner… I really slacked off from the regiment and I did not care one bit. I think we all need those cheat days to get us revamped. But with that behind me, it was time to get back to the regiment. Unfortunately, due to poor planning on my part, I forgot to restock the fridge at work with milk and I didn’t want to swing into Walmart all sweaty and gross. When I am looking my best, I see no one I know. When I am post-workout or fresh from mowing the lawn, I am guaranteed to run into twelve people from my graduating class that I haven’t seen in a decade.

           So, I just decided to go straight home after my workout and I skipped my standard dose of glutamine, amino acids, and my whey protein shake that I keep set up at the office. (I want that whey protein in my system as quickly as possible post-workout.) The problem with certain supplements is that it is hard to tell if they are really working until you have a couple of workouts without them. Given the soreness presented as I was getting ready for bed and again this morning, I do feel it is safe to say that my post-workout cocktail is certainly helping minimize the soreness and helps with the overall recovery process.

           Now, it is possible that this soreness is the result of taking three days off. I am also only running on about six and half hours’ worth of sleep. Those factors could be contributors but the soreness presented as I was getting ready for bed and given how it carried over to this morning, I am hurting. The workout clocked in at just a shade over an hour and I burned over 1,000 calories which is pretty standard for a session. I didn’t stack on super heavy weight. I did fairly normal reps and standard exercises. I didn’t go above and beyond with yesterday’s workout.

           Given that the workout was fairly standard and that three days is not an epic amount of time off and with the only major change being the lack of supplemental support, I have to deduce that the cocktail is living up to the hype and helping my performance by minimizing soreness and downtime for recovery.

Frank "The Chemist" Zane

           So do you NEED all these extra supplements? No. You can survive without them. However, if we look at the research provided by Frank Zane (Mr. Olympia in 77, 78, and 79 – Under 200 lbs. & Overall Winner), he talks about the importance of glutamine and amino acids:

           “Why extra glutamine? Well, it’s a very important Amino Acid Glutamine, this is the Amino Acid that your body pulls out of muscle tissue when you’re starving, people who are on diet or hungry a bit more than normal generally tend to lose muscle mass depending on what else they eat and how hard they exercise.

           So, when you take Glutamine, the Glutamine is pulled out of the chain of Amino Acids in your body and is sent to your liver where it’s turned into carbohydrate. If you take Glutamine in free form, you minimize that effect, so it’s really good for someone who is on diet and wanting to get the most out of the calories they eat and not get anything extra that they don’t need.”

           If I am reading all the research right, once you start trying to work out while maintaining a caloric deficit (i.e. to lose weight), your body starts sucking the natural glutamine out of your muscles. By taking a scoopful of powder glutamine powder, you are telling your liver, “Here take this!” and it leaves the glutamine in your muscles alone. This allows your muscles to repair because the levels of amino acids remain high.  

           And this is why The Mountain on Game of Thrones uses glutamine so much in his diet. So, glutamine doesn’t make you stronger but it helps keep those muscles functioning at a top level. Who says bodybuilding is just for dumb-dumbs? SCIENCE!

No Ifs Ands or Butts About It...

          One of the keys to having an impressive physique is about muscle symmetry. This is why you cannot just train chest and arms. You need to work everything so that you look proportionate. I am a big believer of antagonistic sets, which means for every push, you do a pull. For every Bench Press, I am countering that with some sort of row (Seated Cable Row, Dumbbell Row, Bent-Over Barbell Row, etc.). This means my middle back is getting a workout as much as my chest, which actually improves my overall bench press. For every overhead press to develop my shoulders, I am countering that with some sort of a lat pulldown.

           And while people grumble all the time about it, leg day is extremely important. For all the ladies out there, if you want to have a nice booty, there is no two ways around it. You gotta squat. Squats and Deadlifts are the mother of all leg exercises for several reasons.

           They are a multi-joint exercise which means your hips, your knees, and your ankles are all involved in the exercise. This means it is engaging your lower back, your core, your quads, your calves, and everything in-between. It is strengthening tendons in your knees and your hips.

           Legs are also longer and stronger, which means this is where you can really load the bar up with weight and go to town or you can load the bar lighter and go for longer sets. That heavy weight is forcing you to strain more. Strain means an elevated heart rate which means more calories burned.

          You can do “sculpting” exercises like one-legged cable kickbacks or cable adductors and abductors but with these, you cannot generate the kind of strain that comes from a good Trap Bar Deadlift, a Romanian Deadlift, Straight-Legged Deadlift, or Barbell Squat.

          The problem with Squats and Deadlifts is that this is the exercise that can get you hurt if you don’t know what you are doing and that can be intimidating to novice lifters which is why you need to crawl before you can walk. Working with a trainer and going light until you can master the form is very important in your initial training phases. And as you begin to develop your Squat and Deadlift form, you are going to see certain changes that happen in your legs, especially in your quads. In particular, you are going to see the Vastus Medialis take shape.

          As much as you want it to, a well-developed vastus medialis is not going to come from cardio exercises alone. They come from squats. Now, there are some men out there that are “Leg Men” and will notice and appreciate well-toned legs. But everyone likes a good booty. And if you want that booty, you gotta squat. Case in point, the photographic evidence provided here.

          While it is natural for the eye to be drawn to her, ahem, assets, pay attention the front of her thighs. That is not surgical enhancement. That comes from hard fricking work. And I am willing to bet vital parts of my anatomy that whoever this girl is, she is in the weight room several times a week.

          So, if you want a booty, you gotta squat… no ifs, ands, or “butts” about it. Ha! See what I did there!?!

No One Cares... But Bust Butt Anyway

“It is a sore thing to have labored along and scaled the arduous hilltops, and when all is done, find humanity indifferent to your achievement.”

--Robert Louis Stevenson

 

          The harsh reality is… no one cares. No one cares about your fitness journey. No one cares about how much weight you’ve lost. No one cares if you’ve shattered a personal record yesterday. As you continue down your road of self-improvement, it is human nature to share your accomplishments. You managed to run that mile, master that exercise, or conquer that fear. You think, “This is something to be proud of! I am becoming a better me!” We go to our favorite social media outlets for validation of our progress. You get some likes and some words of encouragement. But secretly, people hate you for your success. It doesn’t mean that all your friends are jerks. Again, it is basic human nature.

          Psychologists will explain that a person’s success holds up a mirror to the other person and reminds them of what they could be if they walked the same path. It reminds them of how they have come up short. And people hate to be reminded of their failures.

          But the other extreme can be equally demoralizing. Case in point, there is this guy I graduated high school with. On a Facebook video, I watched him bench press 400 pounds. That is more than I can squat! There is always going to be someone out there that is stronger than you, smarter than you, richer than you, faster than you, better looking than you, funnier than you… There are going to be people that you will try to measure up with and you will never be good enough.

          When you see someone bench 400 pounds, you don’t ask things like: How long have you been training? Is he in the gym twice a week or twice a day? There are all sorts of factors that you will never know. We don’t see the failures, the injuries, the setbacks, the research, or the techniques that didn’t work out… We just see the highlight reel.

          Reading this right now, you might feel a little down in the dumps. “So, Ryan, you are telling me that no one cares if I lose weight, secretly they hate me for it, and there is always going to be someone out there better and stronger than me?” Yep, pretty much.

          “So why even do it?” Well, my friend, you do it because it is the right thing to do.  

          I’ve said openly on here I want to look good naked but I am the only one that sees me naked. Sure, I want to be ready if my relationship with Katy Perry takes off but for some reason that hasn’t happened yet. Part of me thinks that I should compile all these essays into a book and publish it… but no one will ever read it. I see the analytics on how many “page views” this blog gets. (Hi, both of you!) If no one will read it, if it doesn’t sell, if my improvement is not recognized, and if no one cares, why do it? Why waste my time? Why even train in the first place?

          The answer? Because it makes me happy. Because it is the right thing to do.  

          I lift weights to make me healthy, so I can feel good about myself. I don’t lift weights to impress the ladies. If that happens to occur, that is just icing on the cake. But if that is your sole reason, when you figure out the ladies don’t care or you see that guy bench pressing twice what you are capable of, your motivation wanes. If you are doing it to impress your significant other, when the breakup occurs you won’t do it anymore. It is the same thing with motivation. Anyone can work hard when the gym is full. Can you work hard when the gym is empty? When there are no eyes on you, when there are no accolades, no nods of approval, can you go just as hard or harder?

          I lift weights it because it is turning me into a weapon. Granted, I am a sword that will never be pulled from its sheath but it doesn’t matter. I hated who I was before. I like who I am becoming. I enjoy the research. I enjoy seeing what this process is sculpting me in to (regardless of how slow). And if people don’t care or don’t like me, it doesn’t bother me because I am the only person that I am on this journey with. Friends move, marriages divorce, parents die, kids get old. I am the only one in this life with me until the very end. So if you are your only co-pilot, you better like who that person is. Life is sweeter that way.

          And if it is the right thing to do, you do it. Praise or no praise, you do it because all that hard work is making you a better person. And that is its own reward.

 

“It’s far better when doing good work is sufficient. In other words, the less attached we are to outcomes the better. When fulfilling our own standards is what fills us with pride and self-respect. When the effort—not the results, good or bad—is enough.”

–Ryan Holiday, Ego Is the Enemy

Elevating Your Heart Rate to Maximize Fat Loss

           The goal of any exercise program is to elevate your heart rate. The more intense your program, the more your body is screaming to get blood and oxygen pumped into those muscles. Your body is burning calories and that is attributing to your weight loss. So, how hard do you need to work to get to that fat burning stage? Let’s use a little math to figure things out.

           You want to figure out your Max Heart Rate which is 220 minus your age. For me, as a 41 year old, that means my Max Heart Rate is 179. Now, generally speaking, the zone where you are hitting the “fat burn” is 60% to 70% of your maximum heart rate. I only learned this after I had been wearing a heart rate monitor for a few of my workouts but this is a learning process for me too.

           I try to register my heart rate after most sets. Do a set of Bench Presses, check the rate. Do some Seated Cable Rows, check the rate. On average my heart rate was floating in the high 130s. Occasionally I would see a spike over 140 if the weight was really heavy and I was straining really hard. So I break out the calculator… 70% of 179 is 125. 60% of 179 is only 107. This means that if I can maintain a heart rate between 107 and 125 beats, I am burning fat.

           Considering when I would check my heart rate and I was never dropping below 130, that means I am doing awesome! And how do I sustain this heart rate? The key lies in Circuit Training (aka Antagonistic Sets). For just a brief refresher course, Antagonistic Sets are two exercises that complement each other. If you do an Overhead Shoulder Press, you then immediately do a Lat Pulldown afterward. You are not just waiting around to shake off that fatigue. You could even throw in a third exercise, something ancillary like a Dumbbell Calf Raise or a Forearm Dumbbell Raise. All that strain keeps the heart rate elevated, which means you are burning more calories.

           So how much of a difference does this strategy make? If you log into the My Fitness Pal app and log “Strength Training” as a cardiovascular activity, it will ask you how long did you work out? If you punch in 60 minutes, the base amount of calories they estimate is 331 calories.

           I recently asked a friend of mine that is a runner. She tracks her runs via Nike’s app. She said that an hour run at a 5 mile per hour pace, will burn her approximately 530 calories. Obviously, the more you run and the more frenetic the pace, the more you will burn but who can sprint for an hour?

           Meanwhile, using circuit training and minimal reps… My calculations show that 1 hour in the gym nets me 900 calories burned. Let me stress that. 900 calories. That is basically two meals. At first I thought something was wrong. But like they say, once is an accident. Twice is a coincidence. Three times is a pattern. As of this research, I can consistently get to 900 calories in an hour’s worth of work.

           Now, that is not to say that you can just stroll in, go about a standard milk run workout, and expect 900 calories to melt away. I clang and bang. I don’t socialize. I put my headphones on and I go to mutha humpin’ work. The other regulars know once my headphones go I on, I get into my zone very quickly. My music is loud and I stay focused. I am not strolling about in between sets. I am not hitting on the chicks. I am there to work. To paraphrase the immortal Rowdy Roddy Piper, I am there to chew bubblegum and kick ass… and I’m all out of bubblegum.

           I think there is a reason why medical science is proving that resistance training is superior to straight cardio when it comes to weight loss and the evidence is clear. 530 calories burned running versus my 900 calories burned while pushing iron. I have said it before and I will say it again. Sure, I could run on the treadmill but who jumps off the treadmill and flexes their thighs in triumph? But I can get done and hit a Double Front Biceps pose and feel pride in my accomplishments. 

Materiam Superabat Opus

          Here a while back, you may have seen the trend on social media involving the “Love Your Spouse” challenge where you are supposed to post pictures of your spouse to show how much you love them. I read an article on how one person refused to take part in the challenge because it is a glorification of the “highlight reel.”

          Let’s think about selfies for a moment. How many do you take and swipe through before you find that perfect one? Do you flip through them saying, “Ugg, my eyes are droopy in this one. Don’t like my smile in that one. Well, I guess in this one I don’t look as fat…” You can then go through and do color corrections and apply filters and do all this stuff to make that picture look amazing. And then you post the selfie and wait for the “Likes” to start rolling in. I am not going to say that it is fake but it’s not exactly 100% real either. It’s a highlight reel.

Me at 243 pounds

           I am not pointing fingers here because I do the same thing. Here, just to show I am not blowing smoke… This is one of my most recent “gym selfies.” I use an old boudoir photography trick. My hips are always turned 45-degrees away from the camera with my front leg bent slightly and then I twist so that my shoulders are squarely facing the camera. This slims and tapers the waist. Go ahead, try it in the mirror, you will see what I am talking about.

           Don’t get me started on the “Facebook Fishers.” We all know that person. They throw out vague statements with no explanation just so they can get all those “keep your head up, girl” comments to validate their self-worth.

          I feel life is one big balancing act. It is a razor’s edge that we have to walk. You cannot love yourself so much that you become egomaniacal but you cannot hate yourself so much that you sink into hopelessness. You don’t want to be a braggadocio but you cannot be all “I am such a worthless peon” either. Remember, confidence is one of the sexiest things on the planet.

           Now, just so I am not a highlight reel hypocrite, allow me now to shine a light so you can see my imperfections. Over two years ago, I started FURYAN STRENGTH. If you haven’t read through this whole thing, the name is derived from Vin Diesel’s RIDDICK film series where Furyans are some of the baddest mammer-jammers in the galaxy. I had no idea what I was doing and I built this program from the ground up through research, study, and good old fashioned trial and error.

           I had very specific goals when I started. I had found my “why.” The truth is I hated my physical appearance. I was tired of being overweight. I told myself that I wanted to cut a striking figure when I walked my little girl down the aisle. I wanted to be physically attractive. Women can say all they want about how they want a guy that makes them laugh but I’ve never heard women swoon over the latest Adam Sandler movie trailer but let a sequel for MAGIC MIKE get announced… 

           Through this, I’ve dropped weights, injured my ankle, smashed fingers, been on the verge of vomiting, and even shed an occasional tear. Not kidding about that last one. I’ve consulted trainers, spent countless hours on websites, and I even weigh my food. But this struggle has made me a better person.   I have had people tell me that I am doing a great job and I am thankful but ego is the enemy.

          In all of my training, I have made it a dedicated task to stay humble. I still see all my flaws, probably more than any other person ever would. I know this because here a while back I was basically felt up and molested by an aggressive woman and rather than feel my head inflate with pride as she was squeezing my muscles, I was embarrassed for the praise…

          I am not where I want to be yet and the only way I can get there is through hard work. There is no magic pill, no special drink, no shortcuts. I have to clang and bang and sweat and curse and cry. You have to hate to elevate.

           But in doing so, it also makes me a modest teacher. I’ve given my program to several people when they asked me. It is this blog you are reading here. And just last week, I was answering a question for a trio of ladies picking up weights for the first time. I was happy to help because I wish I had a mentor to guide me at that phase. (Did you know how to target the three different delts for nice rounded shoulders?) They told me, “Maybe if we keep this up, we will get to look like you.” I responded so quickly, it was just instinct, “You all need to elevate your standards.”

           Humility. Humility in the face of praise. Humility makes you bust your ass. You have to believe that you are good enough. You have to believe that you CAN do it. But once you start believing that you have achieved it and that you are great, you’ve lost. You lose that hunger. Your aspiration dips. You start believing your own hype. I seem to recall a certain movie title ROCKY III that was built around this entire concept. The antidote for this poison is iron.

          Iron is the great equalizer. Iron doesn’t give a shit about your pride. Iron doesn’t give a shit about your hype. Iron doesn’t give a shit about your ego. 200 pounds is 200 pounds. Lift it or don’t. Iron will humble you faster than anything and despite how far you have come, it will remind you how far you have to go.

          And when your resolve is wavering, remember this. Materiam superabat opus. The workmanship was better than the material.  Imagine a martial arts master that has climbed the ranks. The more he learns the more he realizes how deadly he truly is, so the more he learns the less apt he is to use what he knows because he knows how bad he can mess someone up.

          All that hard work you put in will transforms you and not just physically. If you stay humble and stay hungry, you become a teacher. You will be supportive of the novice that is nervous walking into the gym for the first time. You will become inspiration for those that are struggling, offering praise and encouragement. But if you let your ego run unchecked and start believing your own hype, you become that arrogant guy strutting about in a barely there tank top. Free advice, kids. No one likes that guy.

          Now take this lesson and apply to aspects in your life: job, family relationships, whatever. Ego is your enemy. You’ve still got a lot to learn. Stay humble in all things. Now, go forth and do likewise.

Facing Death & Fighting the Good Fight

          When Nordic people believed in their pantheon of gods (Odin, Thor, etc.), they believed that if you fell heroically in battle, you would go to the great shield hall in the sky where you would party and drink mead with the All-Father until Ragnarok. During Ragnarok (the end of all things), the demons would escape their hellish prison and besiege the great shield hall where all of the gods (and those lucky enough to be with them) would fight to the death… and they lose. Strangely, they know they are going to lose before the battle even begins but they fight the battle anyway because it is not about winning and losing. It is about putting forth that noble and heroic effort.

           I rarely talk about this but when things were really bad for me, I just hated myself. After I would eat, I would need to stretch out by lying on my stomach to alleviate pain. I was winded from minor physical exertion. I rarely took pictures. I never took selfies. I have very few pictures of me and my kids to pass on to them. I just didn’t like who I had become.  So I started my process to turn things around. I want you all to keep that in mind.

           I just finished watching GENERATION IRON, which is a 2013 documentary about the Mr. Olympia competition. The movie focuses on some of the biggest bodybuilding champions of this era; names like Phil Heath and Kai Greene. If you Google Image search these guys, you see the top of their class.

           But even I look at it say, “Man, that is too much.” I am not alone in this opinion. The greatest bodybuilder of all time, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has commented on how now the sport revolves around how big you can be and we are losing the aesthetics of someone like Reg Park or Frank Zane. You want to see a beautiful man? Google Image Search Frank Zane and you will see what I am talking about. My ideal goal is to have something similar to Chris Evans as Captain America. Or Vin Diesel in Riddick. That is who I named my program after and what I am pushing towards.

          In the documentary, these pro bodybuilders talk about how they have to crush their competition, even if it means playing head games and such. (And, yes, I know. Arnold did that too.) In order to achieve their dream, they have to crush everyone else’s. I know I am never going to be a bodybuilding champion because I do not have that mindset and I do not want to compete against other people.

          I am not an athlete. I will tell you that straight up. Even in my 9-to-5 job, our product is so good that we are not competing with other agencies. There is more than enough business to go around. So we are not trying to be better than this company or that company. We are just trying to be the best company we can be. And I have embraced that philosophy completely. I am infinitely happier for having done so.

           For me, they gym is the same way. Maybe this is why I have stuck to my program for as long as I have, because I am not competing against other people. When I walk into the gym, my opponents are me from yesterday, complacency, laziness, fat… and – my greatest enemy of all – death. I hit the gym because I am fighting to ward off death. Like so many Nordic warriors, I know I will not defeat him. In the long run, he is always going to win. What matters is that I put up the biggest fight to stave that defeat off for as long as possible.

          See, with physical fitness, there is enough success to go around. My success does not hamper anyone else’s and vice versa. There are more than enough seats at the table. And if people see what I am doing and that inspires them or gives them new ideas for their own training, I treat that as a win-win. A rising tide lifts all ships.

           Back several years ago, when things were really bad for me, I don’t want to say that I was suicidal but if Death would have shown up on my door, I wouldn’t have gone kicking and screaming. I would have pulled a Newman and asked, “What took you so long?” Today, I have turned my life around. I have a great job. I have a little money. I try to be the best father I can be. And I am trying to shape myself into something healthy and strong. Furyan Strength has brought me confidence and I feel better about myself.

           I have no delusions. I know I still have a long way to go. I do not have six pack abs or veins showing in my legs. I see myself and I see that I am not where I want to be. But I think about where I could potentially be if I would NOT have started down this road. What if I was still shame eating and stress eating? I had a hard day. Why don’t I deserve that Little Debbie? It’s the only thing that brings me joy now! And that just fed the shame spiral… and that is difficult to reverse course on.

          I may not be where I want to be… but where would I be if I hadn’t started this journey at all? And that is what keeps me going. But somedays… somedays, people, it is very damn hard…

Blog Version 3.0

          Admittedly, I have been away from the blog for a while now but that doesn’t mean I have been away from the gym. I am still at it five days a week and in that time, I have been doing a lot of research, experimenting, and such. I am hoping that all this trialing will help elevate me to a new level and while I am still doing “clinical tests” before posting my results, the effects have been very positive and I am close to being ready to share with the myriad of Furyan Strength followers – hi, both of you! – all that I have learned.

          But before I do that… a few stories.

          First, I feel that the philosophies laid down in the previously published pages are pretty rock solid and will not end up changing as the months (and years) roll on. Resistance training. Antagonistic sets. Limited rests. Protein, fats; limit sugar and carbs. Those building blocks are not going to change and I feel like I have explained them to the best of my limited ability. So with that said, the focus of the blog is now going to shift to that “This is what I am up to” style that I hope you can learn from and adapt into your own program.

          This month, I will officially celebrate my 2 year anniversary of my starting my fitness journey. It has been a long road. I am still learning new things every week. And I am starting to understand and appreciate how much hard work and dedication goes in to getting to that upper echelon. If you want veins to display in your biceps, it is freaking hard work to get to that level. It is not something you can do two days a week and expect results. And I am still learning after two years. It is not a sprint. It is a marathon. So don’t let doubt discourage you. Just keep dialing in to find that perfect routine that is right for you.  

          Third, and finally, I was confronted the other day when someone asked me, “Why are you working so hard? Who are you trying to impress?” And there was this moment, where I wanted to turn and present what some would affectionately call “the stink eye.” I don’t know if you are familiar with the new tag team duo Enzo Amore and Colin Cassidy in the WWE, but I immediately went into my Jersey mode. While this was done through text message (where accents are hard to enunciate), I immediately went to that place. “Well lookie what we have here. A cuppa haters… A cuppa haters…” If you don’t speak Guido or are my father, that translates to “a couple of people who do not approve of what you are doing.”

          Now, in fairness, this texter was female. And the long running joke is that “Men and women go to the gym for the exact same reason. To obtain the perfect female body.” Women go because they want to look like that famous pop star or movie actress. And men go because they feel that they cannot attract the attractive with a pony keg. They need a six-pack to do so.

          Then, of course, is the fear. If a spouse sees their significant other going to the gym and getting in shape, there is the fear that they are doing it to look good for someone new or because they are about to be single again and want to attract the opposite sex. Now clichés are clichés for a reason. They exploit those tropes in sit-coms all the time.

          Time and again on here I have commented that you have to find your why. And this is what I have learned. I have openly said that I am in the gym because I want to cut an impressive figure in my tuxedo a decade from now when I walk my little girl down the aisle. So in that regard, I am not doing it for someone else. I am doing this for me but that mental image motivates me.

          I feel there is a difference between using mental images to motivate you and doing it for someone else. If you tell me, “Ryan, I want to go to the gym because I want my wife to be attracted to me physically.” Boom, good motivation! If you tell me, “Ryan, I think my wife is going to leave me and I want a six pack so she will be attracted to me and not leave.” Sorry, dude. You got bigger problems than the gym can fix.

          I have also said often that you do need the correct motivation to go to the gym and this is one of those instance where I feel it is okay to be selfish. I think if you are doing it for someone else – and by that I mean doing it so some girl will like you – then you will find yourself making excuses not to go. Instead, hit those weights for you. Gain pride in your own appearance and the rest will all just fall into place naturally.

          Keep up the good work. I hope you find the blog useful and learn a thing or two. For me, Year 2 is just right around the corner. What does that mean? It means it’s time to start the hard stuff…

 

The Regiment v. The Routine

           We hear all the time about the “same old routine.” By its very definition, a routine is just the same old same old. It is boring. It is mundane. I thank goodness that I do not have a routine but what I do have is a regiment. My boss at work (who luckily is also one my best friends) chastises me over the fact that you can pretty much set your watch by my schedule. He believes you have to take different routes to work and arrive at different times to be able to throw off the assassins. You don’t want to make their job easy for them. And yet, I leave the house at almost the same time every day.
           I eat the same breakfast. I eat my morning snack at the same time. I eat my lunch at the same time. I eat my afternoon snack at the same time. I am in bed at the same time. I wake at the same time (pretty much). While I know this sounds routine but let me tell you what this also gets me. 
           I get necessary sleep for recovery. I am never hungover headed into work. I cannot remember the last time I was sick. I am not out until all hours of the night. And while this sounds like a boring life, I can also tell you that my bills are paid on time, every time. 
           I told you from the beginning that this journey is about improvement of body, mind, and spirit. It is an odd thing. Once you start seeing results – and I mean real results – it becomes this wonderfully addictive drug but it is a drug of self-improvement.
           You start out saying, “I am going to lift some weights but I am not going to be supplement guy.” Then the results start and you want more. So now you are doing the research. You see how whey protein and Vitamin B and C can help you. Then that starts snowballing.
           The Little Debbie snack cakes start to fade away. To make sure you have a good healthy meal for lunch, you start planning ahead and cooking pounds of chicken in the crockpot the night before. You start investing in Tupperware. You are buying flats of green beans and planning snacks rather than just eating whatever is easily at hand. You start seeing beer for what it really is – liquid bread. And then you start making choices. Do you really want another beer knowing how time it is going to take on the treadmill to get rid of it?
           Now, I don’t want you to take this wrong way. I am not against having a few social drinks with some friends every now and again. There are days where a nice cold beer after a hard day’s work or after excessive time out mowing the lawn is perfectly acceptable. But as your training continues, you begin to cut out things that are going to jeopardize the next day’s training.
           A drink is fine. Falling down blackout drunk is not acceptable. At my age, it would take me days to recover from such nonsense. And for what? A momentary escape from reality? I like my life. What do I need to escape from? In the words of that once popular internet meme, “Ain’t nobody got time for that.”  
           I am not telling anyone how to live their life here. I am not so vain as to believe I can shake a moral finger at you and tell you what to do. As always, this blog has been about what works for me. But over the last year, I have seen dramatic improvements in my life. I feel better. I feel healthier. My mind has become more studious as I have been doing research on how to make improvements. This process has taught me patience. It has taught me that hard work put in daily through small increments pays off tremendously in the long run.
           It is not just about lifting the weights. It is about packing the gym bag the night before to make sure you have everything. It is about smart planning at the grocery store. You find that striving to be the best you can be in the gym starts bleeding over and improving other aspects of your life as well. And that, my friends, is pretty darn awesome…

Band Training

           I have been doing this program for some 89 weeks and during this whole time, I had never used those elastic bands with the handles in my workouts. I just assumed they were wimpy resistance training with little old ladies with artificial hips. And then I read an article regarding the science behind them.

           Now, I am not saying that you should train exclusively with bands. There is no way a band is ever going to replace good old fashioned dumbbell work. But let’s looks at some science here. I want you to imagine performing a Barbell Bench Press with chains hanging off the ends of the bar. This is not just a length of dangling chain. It is a length of chain that is piled on the floor. At the bottom of the lift, there is more chain making contact with the floor (therefore less weight) and as the bar is lifted high, there is more chain being suspended in the air. This way, the higher up you lift the weight the heavier it becomes.

           Bands are the exact same way. The farther you stretch them the more resistance is created. Typically, with Dumbbell Curls, the hardest part of the curl is the start of the lift. If failure is going to occur, it is going to happen between the start of the lift and halfway up. Typically, if you can get that weight past that “point of no return,” you should be able to complete the rest of the lift because you have made it past the crux of the lift. Everything else is “downhill” so to speak. Another way to classify the rest of that lift is with the term “garbage time.”

           Band training offers you the exact opposite. The further up you get with a curl using the bands, the harder it is going to be to complete. This allows you to achieve maximum contraction and you will feel the difference in the morning.

           Obviously bands are not something to build a workout around but, holy cow, what a way to finish a workout. You can achieve multiple lifts very quickly which is going to fire those fast-twitch muscle fibers. 

           Remember what I have stressed from the beginning: attacking from multiple angles. This is an entirely different muscle attack because the resistance is unlike what you can get through dumbbell or barbell lifts. It is very easy to rip out as many reps as possible, going to failure, and really exhausting those muscles with a technique that cannot be achieved through dumbbells.

           Now, it is tough to feel manly working with bands. Again, it feels like the same tool that little old lady with hip replacement uses but if used correctly to finish off your workout, they are phenomenal.

Furyan Reviews: Branch Chain Amino Acids

           I have mentioned in the past about how supplements can improve your bodybuilding experience. Just like yesterday’s article, if you are coming in late, here is a simple breakdown. Think of your nutrition as a castle wall. The nutrients from food are the big blocks of granite that form the wall. Supplements are the mortar that holds everything together. It fills in the gaps between the stones, binds everything together, and keeps that wall upright when those rousey mongorians come to tear down your chitty wall. Supplements on their own do little but when mixed together, they make that wall strong.

           My list of supplements is pretty small. I take Vitamin B, E & fish oil for my metabolism and my heart, Vitamin C for my immune system, and CLAs and Green Tea Extract to help me burn fat. While I got away from it recently, I have returned to having a whey protein shake when I get home after my workout, and I do a casein protein shake before bed.

           Now, the Whey Protein shake is fortified with BCAAs but I only use one scoop, so I am not getting the full recommended dosage that the company recommends which is three scoops. The human body can only absorb about 30 grams of protein in a sitting so to me, that is just protein overkill to get their full dosage of BCAAs.

           So why not just take BCAAs? So a few weeks ago, that is what I started.

           Amino Acids are very important to bodybuilding because they provide two essential things that we are looking for. Muscle retention and fat loss. Back in the day, professional bodybuilder Frank Zane was known as “The Chemist” because he was a big believer in amino acids and other supplementation. And let’s face facts. Google Image Search “Frank Zane.” The man’s physique is darn near perfect and his contest weight was usually around 185 pounds. It would be amazing to shrink down to that size and have his muscle definition. So if it works for Zane, I thought I would give it a try.

           I opted for the BPI Sports brand of Best Aminos which you blend into water. Most people acquire the necessary amino acids through food. In order for this to occur, you have to eat the food, it has to get processed by your body, and then pumped into your blood stream. The benefit of adding Amino Acids through supplement is that the fuel gets absorbed directly into your blood stream. Your body then utilizes them as fuel while you are working out to stimulate your muscle growth. They offer a fruit punch blend that if you mix with the right amount of water is pretty tasty.

           There is a series of debates as far as when you should consume these. I take mine about 10 minutes before I hit the gym. (My commute time is very short.) On average, I would say that my workouts last approximately 75 to 90 minutes. If I was going in for a four hour session, taking the amino acids the middle of your workout would be very beneficial. But I don’t have that kind of stamina and the last thing that I want to do is stop in the middle of my workout, mix up a batch of the stuff, swig it, and keep going. Taking it to start is just a more viable option for me. 

           Now, there are a lot of supplements that claim they will make you stronger. This is not the case. You don’t just take them and instantly become stronger. You take them, you gain energy and fuel, and you get 10 reps where you normally might have only mustered 9. Those extra reps and that ability to go harder is what make you stronger.

           I started my week with trying some new chest routines which I thought would have left me pretty sore. That was on Monday. I did a second chest day on Wednesday. And on Friday I added several sets of Incline Push-Ups with my arm routines. My soreness afterwards feels considerably less that it should be. I like to believe that is because of the amino acids.

           So I feel that BCAAs are definitely something I will continue to add to my supplements. I can tell you what oligopeptides do. I have not researched that far ahead yet. But I like them. Do your research and they might help you out too.

 

Maximum Effort

           As I have discussed already, my goal with the majority of my workouts is to achieve hypertrophy.  Hypertrophy is the best of both worlds between strength training and endurance training where you will see an improvement in both strength and size.

            For a quick recap if you have come to the blog late, powerlifters have rep ranges of 3 to 5 reps lifting practically their 1 Rep Max with every set and there are long rest sessions in between to dump that lactic acid out of your muscles. People looking to burn more fat should be performing rep ranges of around 15 to 20 with most exercises because the muscles are under tension for longer time and that results in more calories burned. (This is really the rep range that I should be doing because I want to strip that layer of fat and not necessarily get bigger.) But if you want the best of both worlds, your target rep range is between 8 and 10. I have said that you want to perform those first eight reps slowly and with surgical precision. Then if you have to cheat to get Reps 9 and 10, that is perfectly fine. However, if you can achieve 12 reps (while still maintaining good form), it is time to increase the weight by 5 pounds.

           But now let’s talk about those reps. I think there are times where we get too mentally conditioned by counting. I often wish I could have a partner that would just watch me do exercises and count my reps for me. Imagine just focusing on going to muscle failure, lifting as much as you can as many times as you can, and then turning to your partner and asking, “Okay, how many was that?” Then if they say 12, you increase the weight.

           Many times we give up at 10 because that is the prescribed number of reps when really you might have three more in the tank. But mentally, you know the goal is 10 and you stop at the 10 count. It is like the scene in the book Jurassic Park where they had the computer set to account for many raptors they thought they had, never thinking that there could be more raptors on the island than just the ones they created. You count to 10 when really you can get 12 but you stop because you have reached the mental limit instead of the true physical limit.

           This is where you really have to learn to listen to your body and be willing to push beyond the pain. With some exercises this is considerably easier to do. With things like Dumbbell Curls, it is rather easy to go until you just cannot physically lift that weight anymore. Exercises like Barbell Squats or Barbell Bench Presses are much more intimidating because what if you drop the weight down and you cannot push it back up? That is usually what a spotter is for but what if you are like me and you work out by yourself? That is one of the major disadvantages.

           Now, some will tell you – and I agree with this – to leave one rep in the tank. If I am performing my first set of Barbell Bench Presses, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to compromise my second and third sets by going overboard on that first set. If ever there is a time to push beyond those limits, I try to reserve for that final set before switching to that next exercise.

           However, if you want true hypertrophy, you cannot just slap on any weight, perform 8 to 10 reps, and expect to achieve it. You want to perform those 8 to 10 reps with a heavy enough weight that you cannot perform 15 reps. If you can perform a weight for 15 reps before achieving muscle failure but you are only doing 10 reps, you are not working as hard as possible. That is going through the motions. That is being lazy. And that is the antithesis of Furyan Strength. Remember, you are working to the maximum of your ability. I don’t care if the guy beside you is doing 100 pounds and you are only doing 50. If 50 pounds is the maximum of your ability, be darn proud that you are pushing yourself to the edge of the envelope. That is how you become the hardest worker in the room. That’s how you achieve Furyan Strength.

Motivation Monday

Be Your Own Renaissance Man

           In the movie Renaissance Man, Danny DeVito is discussing Leon Battista Alberti who was an Italian humorist, author, artist, poet, linguist, philosopher, and cryptographer amongst other things. According to the dialogue of the movie, “They said that he could stand, with his feet together like this, and spring straight over a man's head.” To which DeVito’s character says, “If Leon Battista Alberti couldn't have done that, I wouldn't have remembered a thing about him.”

            This made him an oxymoron. It made him a smart jock. Now, what have I said since the beginning? Furyan Strength is about developing your body, mind, and spirit. Keeping your body sharp will also help keep your mind sharp and I think it works the other way too. Before I started this journey I had no clue what whey protein did for my body. Or BCAAs. Or why I should take Vitamin E. Or the importance of muscle balance and symmetry. I think most people associate all bodybuilders as dumb jocks who just lift heavy weights. But listen to any of the testimony of Dr. Jim Stoppani and I don’t think anyone can deny that lifting weights is a science. But then I saw an image on the internet that really made me think.

Tough but Truthful Talk

          I hear women talk all the time how they want to have the butt of this pop star or the shape of this movie star. Just diet and genetics are not going to do it for you. If you want a big butt (or strangely if you also want to get rid of your big butt), you HAVE to squat and deadlift. That is going to build those butt muscles more than hours on the treadmill.
          We are told all the time how men like women with curves. No one wants to cuddle with a stick at night. And “boys like a little more booty to hold at night.” Speaking for myself as a representative of Man Nation, I can tell you that this is true.
          In February 2015, it was national news when Ashley Graham – a “plus size” model made it into the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. (For the record, she didn’t make it in the issue. She was the spokesmodel for an ad for Swimsuits For All which ran in the issue.) In an article I was reading, she was labeled as a “size-16 beauty.” She was quoted as saying: “Jennifer Lawrence is the media's poster girl for curves — she's tiny.  There needs to be more education in schools, because that's where eating disorders start. It's not just about being healthy; it's also about loving who you are."
          And Ms. Graham is right. Earlier that year, Jennifer Lawrence was labeled as “curvy” and did a picture shoot with a boa constrictor. I think it is the new socially acceptable way of calling a girl “fat” much the same way that “thug” has now replaced describing someone without using the N-word. But if you think Jennifer Lawrence is fat, you have a seriously skewed view.

          And then lo and behold, last week, guess who is featured on the cover of the 2016 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Yep, Ashley Graham. And you better believe she looks amazing!
          Yes, I will go on record that Ashley Graham is an amazingly beautiful woman. She is billed as a size 16 but she can wear a bikini and make it look good. To paraphrase Walder Frey, I bet when she takes that dress off everything stays right where it is.
          So let’s be real honest here. Curves are sexy. Fat is not. Cellulite is not attractive. When things begin to fold and hang over other things, it is not attractive. I am sorry, ladies. It is the truth. But I am talking for both men and women here. This is why you see more pictures of Channing Tatum without his shirt than Jonah Hill.
          I think that people just get too darn caught up in the numbers. I am 5’11” and (as of this writing) I weigh 249 pounds. Conversely, WWE wrestler John Cena is billed as 6’1” and weighs 249 pounds. I have a very distinct feeling that his 249 and my 249 are way, way different.
          But what if told you that it swings the other way too? Just because you can fit into a size 4 dress does not mean you are going to immediately be more attractive than someone who is a size 10. That woman wearing a size 10 might have a rear end that looks like an upside-down heart that country music guys write songs about. If it is big and shapely and swallows up a g-string, yes, most men are going to find that more attractive than a stick figure. 

          This is where I think women need to quit obsessing strictly over their dress sizes. Do you really think Gina Carano or Ronda Rousey are worried about the diameter of their thighs? I seriously doubt it. Because of their work ethic, if they gain an inch diameter on their thighs, it is going to be because they are packing on muscle. No dude ever in the history of dues is going to complain about that.
          So if you are a woman picking up the weight for the first time, I would judge your progress not by your body weight and/or dress size but by the amount of iron you are pushing. Yes, you might gain pounds on the scale but what if you elevate from bench pressing 45 pounds to 75 pounds? To me, those are numbers to be proud of.
          But I think women are afraid to pick up weights because they have a stereotypical image in their mind of a female bodybuilder. We think of those Eastern European “women” who you are convinced might be taking horse steroids. “Eww, I don’t want to get all big and bulky.” To which I want to reply, “I have been doing this for a year trying to get big and bulky and I cannot accomplish it!!!” If you are looking at women in bodybuilding competition photos, these are the 1% that train like machines.
          I guarantee you that every woman in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue does some sort of weight training. I am not saying they are slapping on four of the 45 lb. plates and squatting 225 pounds but they are doing some sort of weight training.
          If you are afraid that you are going to get all veiny and have stuff start bulging out in places… don’t. Again, doing one Google Image Search is going to represent the top 1% of these female bodybuilders. And like all photo shoots, they are getting oiled up and working out beforehand. It is not a representation of real life.
          And if it makes you feel any better, guys have the same kind of “body envy” as women do. Or at least I do. I see guys like John Cena, Chris Evans, and Hugh Jackman and I want to look like them. But Hugh doesn’t look like the Wolverine 24/7. And Chris Pratt likes beer way too much to be in Star Lord shape all the time.
          What I am saying is don’t let your dress size determine your success. I think if you ask 100 men, they would tell you that they prefer a size 10 that is filled out and shapely over a woman that is a size 4, never visits the gym, and is rail thin simply through diet and genetics. 
          So, seriously ladies, don’t be afraid to get clanging and banging.