However, I don’t want to be like most fitness bloggers.

So I’ not biting my tongue anymore.

Steroids do exist, and they are an enormous part of bodybuilding.

The truth is that the majority of the physiques that you see on supplement labels, fitness websites, and magazines are pharmaceutically enhanced.

This is not a suspicion, this is not a theory, this is fact.

I’ve been doing this a long time, I know my shit.

The amount of bodybuilders that claim ‘natty’ on bodybuilding forums is disgusting.

I’m not here to convince you that your favorite bodybuilder or fitness model is on steroids.

My goal is to convince you to continue training naturally.

However, rather than using the “If you do steroids, you will die” approach. I think I’m going to try honesty, an approach that is unfortunately rare in the fitness world.

Millions of people use steroids every day.

If injecting yourself with steroids was an automatic death sentence, we’d hear about a lot more steroid related deaths.

I am purposely leaving out most of the common, supposed health risk that steroids are said to have on the liver, kidney,  heart, etc.

I am doing this because most people simply dismiss those side effects as false, unlikely, or only possible if you do things “the wrong way”.

However, I do have a very close friend that has been using anabolic steroids on and off for 12 years, and he is experiencing kidney and heart problems right now. Will we ever know 100% if it was the steroids? No, probably not.

This post isn’t a scare tactic, it’s meant to be educational and give you concrete reasons to train without steroids.

7 Reasons To Train Naturally, That Actually Make Sense:

• Hop Aboard The Physical Roller Coaster 

The average juicer runs a few 12-week steroid cycles each year, and you’re either Stevie Wonder, or a liar if you say you can’t tell when he’s on steroids and when he’s off them.

I see it every few months. I’ll be getting ready in the locker room and in walks Gorilla Joe, who is at the height of his 12 week cycle. He’s bigger, leaner, and stronger than ever, and for a few minutes I feel a little depressed about my lack of progress.

I feel a lot better when I see him 4-6 weeks later, he’s deflated, fatter, and weaker than ever.

Your argument might be “Well, he must not have used proper P.C.T.”

That’s bullshit! You do not own the gains you make with drugs

Here’s how I explain it:

Imagine that your body is a racecar, capable of going 140mph without nitrous (steroids).

However, when you push that nitrous button your car can go from 140mph to 200mph!

When that nitrous runs out, what happens?

Your speed dwindles back down to 140mph, because the car is not capable of sustaining that speed without the nitrous.

I don’t know a damn thing about cars, but I do know enough about bodybuilding to tell you two things, for a fact.

1. There’s no such thing as “1 cycle to get where you want, then you’ll train naturally to maintain”.

2. Professional bodybuilders do not do cycles, they are on drugs year round.

• Don’t Forget To Ride The Emotional Roller Coaster, Too

You know that time of the month when your girlfriend and sisters are acting crazy and irrational?

Have you ever wanted to know why they acting like that?

It’s in the hormones. Their hormones are all out of whack, so they get moody, sad, and experience a lot of ups and downs.

The same thing will happen to you when you’re constantly on and off steroids. Your testosterone and estrogen levels are going to be fluctuating so much that it’s enough to bring even the biggest, toughest guy to tears.

• You better have deep pockets

The other day I walked into the gym locker room and overheard two guys talking. One guy was new to our gym, and trains naturally. The other guy has been going there as long as I can remember, and he uses steroids. The new guy asked him what his secret was, and the other guy jokingly replied “It’s not cheap, that’s for sure!”

If you’re buying it from some guy in your gym, you can bet your bottom dollar (if you have any money left) that he’s making a profit off of you, and not just doing it to hook you up because the locker room conversations you share make him actually care about you.

If you think the creatine, pre workout, and protein supplements you use are expensive then you’re in for a shocker.

The average juicer is spending thousands of dollars per year on steroids.

• God Only Knows What You’re Actually Getting

Unless you’re getting your stuff from a pharmacy, you truly don’t know what you’re putting in your body.

You’re injecting this stuff into your body, it’s not something you want to risk.

• No Baby Mama Drama

For some of you this might be more of a benefit than a handicap, but I want a baby more than anything in the world.

I’m not saying that steroids will 100% make you infertile, I told you I was going to be honest and I intend to.

If professional bodybuilders like Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Ronnie Coleman are capable of having children, then obviously steroids do not 100% kill your chances of being a a father.

However, they do decrease your sperm quantity and quality while you are on them, and for every guy who is able to recover his sperm production, there’s somebody who wasn’t able to.

Professional bodybuilders are doing these drugs under professional supervision, so they have professional help to recover their sperm production.

They are also making 6-7 figures a year, so they have the money to do In Vitro Fertilization if all else fails.

I don’t have $12,000 to try In Vitro and hope it works, and you probably don’t either.

Being a father is infinitely more important to me than being buff.

Sure there are even cases where guys get their girlfriends/wives pregnant while they were on a cycle, and then there are guys like my friend who has been trying to get his wife pregnant for 9 months with no luck.

• Say Goodbye To Your Hair

Steroids will eventually take it’s toll on your hairline, especially if you’ve got the male pattern baldness gene.

There are special shampoos and medications to counteract the hair loss effects of steroids, but nothing is proven 100% effective, and do you really want to take the chance that those shampoos and medications will work for you?

There are some guys that just don’t get this side effect, but they are the lucky few. In the bodybuilding world there is an overwhelming amount of bald guys, or guys who are starting to thin pretty badly. This is not a coincidence.

• You can get big and lean without drugs

There’s a saying in the online bodybuilding forums “Big, Ripped, Natural – You can only pick two”. This is more B.S.

I’m not going to be that guy who claims you can get as big as Jay Cutler as long as you workout hard enough and long enough.

You will never naturally be the size of a professional bodybuilder, it’s just not possible.

You can get big, ripped, and remain natural. You just need to change your definition of big and ripped.

I’m 5’9″ 200lbs. If I want to have clearly visible abs I would have to weigh about 185lbs.

185-190lbs is big considering the average guy weighs about 135-145lbs.

If you’re not happy with 185-190lbs with visible abs, I don’t know what to tell you, but that is big and ripped to me.

The post 7 Reasons To Train Naturally appeared first on Muscle Class.

Somebody that will tell you the good, and the bad. Who it’s for, and who it’s not for.

You may have even searched the internet high and low, only to find short, careless reviews by people that haven’t even read the book, understand the program, or follow the diet. They just seem too push, and highlight way too many good things about the program,

Allow me to put your mind at ease:

You’ve come to the right place for a real review of eat stop eat.

• I bought the book with my own hard earned money
• I read the entire thing, cover to cover, in 1 night (I’m just trying to show off, it’s an easy read lol)
• I took notes on the things I learned in the book, and followed up with more research when I was done
• Using what I learned in Brad Pilon’s Eat Stop Eat, I constructed an Intermittent Fasting based eating program and made an awesome transformation.
  
• I don’t care if you buy the book, steal the book, borrow the book from a friend, or even keep reading this review.
• You save money on food
• It’s okay to have cheat meals
• If you can adapt this long term, you can maintain a lean muscular body year round instead of doing the bulking/cutting thing over and over

What is Eat Stop Eat all about?

Eat stop eat was designed to help you lose fat and maintain muscle, very efficiently.

The big secret behind eat stop eat, isn’t really a big secret at all. It’s been known and used by bodybuilders for a long time to help them drop fat quickly while maintaining their hard earned lean muscle.

It’s called intermittent fasting.

Intermittent fasting is the act of not eating anything for a period of time. This is called fasting, and it can last anywhere from 12 to 24 hours.  Your fast is followed by a period of time where you would consume all of your daily meals. This is called your eating window and it is usually a much shorter period of time than the fasting period.

While I was following the eat stop eat program I calculated my protein, fat, and carbohydrate intake for my workout days and then I calculated the amount of protein, fat, and carbohydrates I would consume on my off days. My eating window was 2pm – 9pm, so I would split up my calories into several meals between 2pm and 9pm. Then my fasting period would begin at 9pm and last all the way to 2pm the next afternoon. I was usually fasting 16 hours/day and eating for 8 hours/day.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it? I bet you’re saying to yourself “I can do that, I don’t like to eat after 9pm anyway. No problem!”. It’s true, you might have the willpower to not eat after 9, but if you’re like me and have a morning job and college classes that require you to be up early in the morning, it’s the act of not eating in the morning until 2pm that took the real willpower.

Not to mention the weekends. I’m pretty good about not getting hungry and eating after 9pm on the weekdays when I need to stick to my schedule for work and school, but when I’m out late on the weekends, hanging out with friends, 9pm is early. It’s literally the beginning of the night. I can’t help but get hungry by 1o or 11.

It’s a tough eating pattern to get used to, but once you’re used to it get’s easier and easier and you probably won’t go back to your normal way of eating.

What are the benefits of Intermittent fasting?

So now that you know what intermittent fasting is, and what it’s all about,  you probably want to know “Why would anybody do that to themselves?”

• Increases your body’s release of growth hormone, which literally torches fat
• Rapidly burn fat, even if you’re someone that (like me) that gains weight easily, but has a hard time losing it.
• Maintain a healthy metabolism
• Higher percentage of muscle is maintained during fat loss, and even some muscle built under the right conditions.

Who it’s for and who it’s not for

I’m not going to B.S. you in my review of eat stop eat, it’s not for everybody.

If you’re a skinny guy looking to put on size., this isn’t for you.

Sure, people have had success building muscle while following eat stop eat and other intermittent fasting protocols, but I just don’t think the overall calorie intake is optimal for somebody that’s main goal is to build size. I’m my experience it’s much better suited for somebody that has trouble losing fat.

I always joke that sometimes I think I gain weight by looking at and smelling food! Sure, my skinny friends think it’s great that I’m able to put on size so easily, but sometimes I can be just as envious of their ability to shed body fat without even trying.

That’s why eat stop eat and intermittent fasting diet protocols were such a Godsend for me. I had a bit of muscle underneath my fat, but I needed to find a good way to shed the fat to reveal the muscle, and this worked very well.

It’s also not on you if you’ve got limited willpower. If you’re somebody who cannot stop yourself from snacking, and stick to a set eating schedule, do not waste your time and money on eat stop eat.

Lastly, I wouldn’t recommend this type of program for somebody that never trains with weights. The major benefit to intermittent fasting is it’s ability to spare lean muscle and even build it, however, if you’re not training with weights it’s simply not going to happen.

Conclusion

Intermittent fasting is an extremely effective fat loss method, and Brad Pilon has literally put together the #1 best resource for intermittent fasting. Seriously, it’s dummy proof. I highly recommend it for guys and girls who just can’t seem to get rid of the pudge on their belly, are willing to exercise regularly, preferably with weights, and have the willpower to stick to a proven diet program for 8-12 weeks. Stay clear if you’re somebody looking to bulk up and add serious mass, it’s simply not the best protocol for mass building.

Note From The Anthony: If you decide that you would like to invest in Brad Pilon’s book based on my review of eat stop eat. Contact me with your receipt and as a way to show my appreciation I will help you construct an intermittent fasting plan that suits your daily schedule.

Click Here Get Brad Pilon’s Eat Stop Eat

The post A Review Of Eat Stop Eat – By Someone That Actually Used It appeared first on Muscle Class.

You probably also know that a lot of healthy foods aren’t the best tasting.

So I’ve gone ahead and hooked you up with a few of my favorite muscle building, fat burning foods that actually taste really great.

Below you will find 6 of my favorite delicious and healthy bodybuilding recipes. I tried to make  sure to include at least one recipe for any occasion, that includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and desert.

All of these recipes  have been taken from my favorite bodybuilding cookbook, which you can find  a link to at the end of this page.

Protein Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1/4cup Oatmeal
• 6 Egg Whites
• 1tbsp Baking Sode
• 1/2tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2tsp Stevia

Directions:

• Heat frying pan until hot, reduce to medium temperature.
• Mix together all ingredients in a blender, coat pan with cooking spray.
• Scoop one large spoonful onto pan, flip when bubbles start to form.

Nutrition Facts: 

Calories: 259
Protein: 30g
Carbohydrates: 26g
Fat: 4g

 Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

• 6oz Diced Chicken Breast
• 2tbsp Spaghetti Sauce
• 1/3cup Lowfat Mozzarella
• 1 Whole Wheat Pita Bread
• 1/4cup Sliced Mushrooms
• 1/4cup diced Green Pepper
• 1/4cup Chopped Oions
• Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Cook chicken seperately
2. Spread Speghetti Sauce on one side of pita bread
3. Top with chicken and veggies
4. Spring with mozzarella cheese, salt, and pepper
5. Bake in oven at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 410
Protein: 44g
Carbohydrates: 36g
Fat: 10g

Muscle Chilli

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs of Ground Buffalo (Bison) or Extra Lean Ground Beef
• 1 diced Onion
• 1 diced Green Pepper
• Garlic (3 cloves, minced)
• 1 tbsp of Chili Powder
• 1 teaspoon of Turmeric
• 1 teaspoon of Oregano
• 2 Cans (15oz/can) of Black Beans
• 2 Cans (15oz/can) of Diced Tomatoes (with juice)
• 1 Can (14oz) of Low Sodium Beef Broth
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt / 1 teaspoon of Pepper

Directions:

1. In a pan, Cook the Buffalo, Green Pepper, Onion, Garlic for 5-6 minutes, until it is almost cooked
2. Transfer everything in a big casserole. Add Chili powder, Turmeric, Oregano, Beans, Tomatoes, Broth, salt and pepper
3. Make it boil
4. Reduce intensity and stir for 20 minutes until it reaches wanted thickness

Nutritional Facts:

Calories: 260
Protein: 30g
Carbohydrates: 26g
Fat: 4g

Salmon Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 can canned Salmon
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 cup Bread Crumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped Onion
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp of Lemon Juice

Directions:
Drain liquid from salmon
In a bowl, mix egg, onion, bread crumbs, mustard, lemon juice and salmon together
Make into 2 patties
In a frying pan, heat olive oil. Place patties in pan.
Brown on each side, turning gently. Drain on paper towels and serve.

Quick Tip:
Delicious with light cream cheese and 2 small whole wheat buns

Nutritional Facts:

Calories: 348
Protein: 39g
Carbohydrates: 12g
Fat: 16g

Protein Fudge Bars:

Ingredients:

• 8 scoops chocolate Protein Powder
• 1 cup Oatmeal
• 1/3 cup Natural Peanut Butter
• 3 Tbsp Honey
• 1/2 cup 1% Milk
• 3 tbsp crushed Peanuts

Directions:

1. Mix together the protein powder, oatmeal, peanut butter, honey and milk.
2. Form into 10 bars and then roll in the crushed peanuts to finish.
3. Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes

Nutritional Facts:
Calories: 244
Protein: 25g
Carbohydrates: 18g
Fat: 8g

Orange Protein Creamsicles

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar free Vanilla Pudding
• 1 cup Skim Milk
• 2 cups Vanilla Protein Powder
• 2 cups Orange Juice
• 1 teaspoon of Stevia

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a blender
2. Pour mixture in a popsicle maker tray
3. Put in the freezer for minimum 12 hours or overnight

Nutritional Facts:
Calories: 97
Protein: 10g
Carbohydrates: 12g
Fat: 1g

Note: Pretty cool, right? Who knew that pizza, fudge, pancakes and popsicles could actually help you build muscle and burn fat. That’s just 6 recipes, but you can get your hands on over 200 recipes just like these by checking out my go-to bodybuilding cookbook. It’s called Anabolic Cooking, and there’s a $40 off sale right now. If I were born with some sort of body deformity, I’d definitley give this book 3 thumbs up, but since I wasn’t I’m going to give it 2  thumbs way up! . Click Here To Get Anabolic Cooking, The #1 Bodybuilding cookbook

The post 6 Delicious and Healthy Bodybuilding Recipes appeared first on Muscle Class.

You were either a chubby kid, or a scrawny kid.

If you’ve read my About Page, you know that I’m a computer geek and former wanna-be professional PC gamer, yes seriously.

All of that inactivity didn’t do me any favors.

Needless to say, I was always a chubby kid.

I did have a lot of scrawny friends, though.

And one of the benefits of being the chubby kid in our group is that I could always kick my scrawny friend’s asses when we would build wrestling rings out of pillows/sofa cushions.

Maybe I could credit that to all the practice perfecting my stone-cold stunner, rock bottom, and power bomb on my pillows, though.

(You guys did shit like this too, right? – I hope I’m not the only one.)

When you look at a skinny dude and a chubby dude you probably think they are polar opposites, right?

Well, in 10 out of 10 cases skinny and chubby dudes share 1 trait.

Their eating habits.

More specifically eating to reach their fitness goals.

Nope.

In my experience, most guys are pretty good about hitting the gym consistently, and training with intensity. Which guy wouldn’t? Lifting weights makes you feel like a beast!

Do you know what doesn’t make you feel like a beast, though?

Preparing meals days in advance, drinking water and 0 calorie drinks, and eating small portions.

You just don’t feel the progress in the kitchen.

Unfortunately, that’s where most of the progress is made, and where every guy drops the ball.

I’d say nearly 90% of the progress you see in your body comes directly from the changes you’ve made to your eating habits.

Let’s get more specific:

Skinny Guys – You’re not eating nearly enough. Whenever I make a custom meal plan and workout routine for a skinny guy he tells me that he alrady eats A LOT, but just isn’t gaining any weight.

I don’t doubt you, you probably are eating a lot compared to the average person, but you’re a bodybuilder now, you’re no longer average. You want to have muscles. The average person doesn’t have much muscle.

Plus, you’re naturally skinny. You’re a hard gainer, you need to eat even more food even more frequently than most guys do in order gain half the weight.

So when you think you’re eating a ton of food, take it one step further and try eating “a shit ton”.

That will get you where you want to be, no doubt about it.

Chubby Guys – You’re eating too much, too infrequently, and it’s coming from all the wrong places.

Look, just because your friends order a pizza doesn’t mean you need to eat it, and starving yourself while at school or work, and eating a lot later isn’t a sound dieting strategy. You’ll more than likely end up overeating later.

It’s okay for the average guy to eat pizza and/or only eat once or twice a day, but you’re not average. You’re a body builder now! You want to look like you’ve been carved from granite, you want your friend’s girlfriends to take a second look when you walk around shirtless and think to themselves “Why doesn’t my boyfriend have muscles like his friend?”

It makes total sense that eating pizza once in a while should be okay, and it even makes sense that skipping meals should help drop some weight. However, you’re a chubby guy. Your body naturally holds on to excess fat. You almost need to pry it off with a crow bar.

Note On Cheat Meals: Once you learn how to feed your muscles properly, you can afford a cheat meal every now and then. The problem is, most guys randomly throw a cheat meal or 10 into the mix the first few weeks they start dieting. They weigh in a week later and find out that they’ve actually gained weight, and then they give up on dieting.

3 Golden Rules Of Cheat Meals:

• Strategically program cheat meals into your diet. That means knowing  which days you’re allowed to cheat, and better yet what the cheat meal will be, and at what time it will take place.
• The cheat meal should not be “never ending”. A cheat meal is a couple slices of pizza, not the entire box. I’ve seen friends tearing into an entire large box of Hungrie Howie’s pizza and bread sticks. When I ask “Dude, aren’t you dieting?” they say “Cheat day, bro”.
• You are not allowed to have any cheat meals until you have successful lost 10lbs without them. Cheat meals are to be earned, and if you get a head start of -10lbs, you’re less likely to give up on your goals if you don’t lose any weight one week.

I jokingly said that being chubby as a kid gave me an unfair advantage while wrestling with my buds, but there actually are some advantages of being chubby as well as being skinny.

Chubby Guy Advantages:

Chubby guys can usually pretty easily build muscle and strength, plus we have a strong apetite. Sure it can be a curse when sweets are around, but talk to any skinny guy and they will tell you how hard it is to force themselves to keep eating. Chubs unite, let’s consider ourselves lucky!

Skinny Guy Advantages:

Since a skinny guy’s body doesn’t store much excess weight, it’s much more forgiving of cheat meals. Also, if you’re training hard in the gym, any size you do end up keeping is usually quality muscle. I haven’t seen any skinny guys hit the gym with extreme intensity, eat a ton of food, from mostly high quality sources, and become fat.
So there you have it, the next time you skinny guys are looking at your chubby friends or chubby guys looking at your skinny friends, and thinking to yourself how the grass is greener on the other side. Remember, you’re not so different after all, and there’s actually some benefits to being who you are.

The post 1 Thing Chubby & Skinny Guys Have In Common appeared first on Muscle Class.

It’s all in the name – Supplements.

Think of supplements as filling in the gaps you have in the supply chain to your muscles. Granted, some supplements are filling in gaps that don’t exist, or providing nutrients you don’t need. This article was written to help you sift through the bullshit and get down to what supplements really make a difference, which ones work, and which ones you should avoid.

Allow me to preface my list by saying this: If you could spend the same money you want to spend on supplements on improving your diet, do that first. Then come back to buy supplements.

If you’ve already got your diet in check and want to invest in muscle building or fat burning supplements to fill in the gaps in your diet, continue reading.

First Tier: Whey Protein and Creatine

Whey Protein: You’ve undoubtedly heard of whey protein, and for good reason. Whey can be digest faster than chicken, eggs, fish, or any other lean protein source, making it a perfect choice for a post-workout drink.

Whey is relatively cheap, but not all whey proteins are created equal. When you shop for whey, pay attention to price per serving, sugars, carbs, fats, and calories. In general, you’re looking for the most protein in grams per dollar, with the least sugars/carbs/fats/calories. Listed below are whey protein options that I’ve had success with, as well as a link for purchase:

• 100% Whey by Optimum Nutrition
• Combat Powder by MusclePharm
• Super Advanced Whey Protein by Body Fortress
• Syntha-6 by BSN (contains several types of proteins)

Creatine: Oh, creatine. One of the most talked about supplements in the industry. People who aren’t a part of our culture think it’s weird, people who are a part of our culture think it’s all water-weight, but both those groups of people are dreadfully wrong.

Creatine has been shown by numerous studies to increase muscle size, strength, and endurance. Now where the controversy comes along is as to what “form” of creatine one ought to take. Put simply, you don’t need anything other than creatine monohydrate. All the other mystical forms of creatine are marketing ploys to get you to shell out an extra buck for a product which gives you the same results.

Here’s what I like:

• Creatine Powder by Optimum Nutrition
• Micronized Creatine by Bodybuilding.com
• Creatine by MusclePharm

The best place to order your whey protein and creatine is bodybuilding.com

Click here to order any of the whey protein and creatine supplements listed above

Second Tier: Fish Oil, Casein Protein, Multivitamins

Fish Oil:Sounds gross, smells funny, makes your burps weird. But does it help? The science says yes. What’s difficult about fish oil is that it’s pretty tough to isolate its benefits to your body unless you stop taking your other supps, and that’s simply not an option. So should you take fish oil? I do. Professional athletes do. The science supports it, so I say go for it.

You don’t need anything fancy, but here’s what’s worked for me:

• Fish Oil Softgels by Optimum Nutrition

Casein Protein: I’m a fan of casein protein. Casein takes twice as long to digest as whey protein, suiting it perfectly to be taken before bed, your longest period of fasting during a 24 hour cycle. If you want to grow throughout the night, casein can help support that growth with a slow stream of amino acids. Casein is expensive though, so be warned.

I’ve enjoyed the following:

• 100% Casein by Optimum Nutrition
• Casein by Optimum Nutrition

Multivitamins: “Take your vitamins!” Mom wasn’t leading you astray when she pushed those gummy vites on you before you grew into a hulking beast (side note, if you didn’t grow up with gummy vitamins, go relive your childhood). Vitamins really are important for maintaining your body, even if you aren’t a hardcore athlete. Even more so for freaks like us, the body needs to have a fresh supply of nutrients to support muscle growth. Here’s the deal with multivitamins. You can probably get by with just a store brand active lifestyle multi, but if you have the cash, you may benefit from one of the leading bodybuilding multivitamins. Here’s what’s worked for me:

• Animal Pak by Universal Nutrition
• Anavite by Gaspari Nutrition
• Optimen by Optimum Nutrition
• Flinstone Kids, GummyVites, Vitaball – Just kidding!

Any store bought fishoil will do, but my favorite place to get my casein protein is definitley Bodybuilding.com – They are the cheapest, quick shipping, they give you free gifts like T-Shirts and gym bags, and they also send you free samples of other supplements.

Click here to order any of the fish oil, multivitamins, and casein protein supplements listed above

Third Tier: CLA, ZMA, Pre-Workouts

If I’ve had a rough day or didn’t get enough sleep the night before my workout I might bust out a pre-workout supplement. However, CLA, ZMA and Pre-workouts supplements are non-essential in my eyes.

The effect of each of them (diet control, sleep quality, energy) can be manufactured mentally or acquired through other natural means. That doesn’t mean the supplements don’t help, but rather that they should take the lowest priority when it comes time to take out the pocketbook.

And in the case of these categories, I recommend you try many different options, and see what works for you. These are much more a matter of preference than the other supplements.

Preworkout Supplements I’ve Used and Like:

• 1.M.R
• Jack3d
• Hemorage

I always order my pre-workouts from Bodybuilding.com I purchased 1MR from bodybuilding.com on

a couple of different occasions, and to this day they send me free trial size samples of different flavored 1MR products.

The best place to order your whey protein is bodybuilding.com

Click here to order the preworkout supplements listed above

Bonus Supplement: Ephedrine, Caffeine, Asprin (ECA Stack)

While it’s technically not a supplement, the ECA Stack is one of the most effective combination of legal drugs you can take to increase fat loss.

This supplement alone deserves an entire write up on it’s own, but for now all you need to know is the basics:

ECA acts as an apetite suppresent and a mild thermogensis (It helps your body burn more fat), and it actually does what it is supposed to do.

If you’re a united states citizen, you might notice that there is a ban on ephedrine. Not to worry – ephedrine can be found in drugstroes over the counter in medicines like “Bronkaid”.

The stuff is completley harmless if taken correctly – no more than 2 capsules a day for most people.

However, the outlaw in the U.S is because American’s are an overweight and impatient bunch. Some people thought it would be okay to increase the dosage and frequency and results would come faster. Wrong! Increasing the dosage and frequency of this supplement is dangerous and can be deadly in rare cases.

Disclaimer: I’ve used ECA for years and it has helped me lean out significantly. However, if you take it improperly it can be dangerous so consult a physician before making any decisions to take this supplement.

So there you have it, a quick rundown of what the world of supplements has to offer. Again, take care of your diet first, then supplements, from top tier down. Now get off your computer and HIT THE GYM!

P.S. – Supplements can get expensive fast, that’s why I highly recommend you save yourself a ton of cash by investing in a copy of “Homemade Supplement Secrets“. Inside you’ll discover 24 step-by-step instructions for creating your very own supplements and saving a ton of cash. Enjoy!

Click Here To Download Homemade Supplement Secrets

This is a guest blog post by Jack Morrow. Jack  has done an interview with MuscleClass.com which can be found here: http://www.muscleclass.com/490/ripped-redditor-jack-morrow-interview/

If you’d like to get more information about weight training, nutrition or anything else bodybuilding related you can contact Jack here: morrow.jack@gmail.com

The post 8 Supplements That Actually Work appeared first on Muscle Class.

Fuh_Queu’s real name is Corey and he’s made not only the top transformation I’ve seen in r/bodybuilding, but probably the most drastic transformation I’ve ever seen period. What he did blows those late night P90X commercials out of the water haha.

He’s also been generous enough to sit down with me and answer some questions about his transformation and what helped him get to where he is today.

Anthony: What was your primary motivator to get in shape?

Corey: My primary motivation was how awful I felt when i was out of shape. My entire life was hard to bare just because I was overweight. I could not stand to see myself in the mirror or in public. Getting out of bed or into my car was hard. None of my clothes fit and I always had my head down and couldn’t look people in the eye. I knew I was capable of much more.

Anthony: How long did it take you to make the transformation we seen on r/bodybuilding?

Corey: It took 4-5 months of non-stop work to get to a point where I was comfortable in public and started to feel good about myself and probably another 2-3 months where people were staring at the beach. It will take many more years of the same hard work to get to where I ultimately want to be.

Anthony: Think back to the night before you started working out, what was your plan of action?

Corey: My plan from day 1 was to change everything. Nothing from the old way of living could stay if I was to succeed. A strict diet and training regimen had to be put in place and followed. I knew weight training in conjunction with a proper diet would yield the best results. My goal was not to simply lose weight but to ultimately have a bodybuilder’s body.

Anthony: Could you tell us a little about your weight training protocol? What has worked best for you in terms of training?

Corey: My training is a split over the course of 5 days. This, of course, is a work in progress and is constantly tweaked.

Day 1: Legs
Exercise 1: Pause squats to parallell (smiths machine 2 weeks, 1 week barbell, 1 week leg press)
Exercise 2: Hamstring curls
Exercise 3: Leg extensions
Exercise 4: Standing calf raises
Exercise 5: Hack squats (once a month)
Day 2: Chest
Exercise 1: Flat bench barbell.
Exercise 2: Dips (weighted)
Exercise 3: Incline barbell or dumbell presses.
Exercise 4: Pec deck (superset with a flat bench machine on last set, to failure)

Day 3: Back
Exercise 1: Wide grip overhand pull ups on assisted machine or pull downs.
Exercise 2: Deadlifts
Exercise 3: Straight arm lat pull downs
Exercise 4: Seated Rows or bent over rows.

Day 4: Shoulders
Exercise 1: Lateral dumbell or cable raises
Exercise 2: Overhead press/Military press
Exercise 3: Standing rows.
Exercise 4: Seated bent over dumbell raises (rear delts)
Exercise 5: Shrugs

Day 5: Arms

Biceps:
Exercise 1: Barbell curls
Exercise 2: Preacher curls (alternated every other week with hammer curls.)
Exercise 3: Incline curls
Exercise 4: Concentration curls

Triceps
Exercise 1: Close grip bench press
Exercise 2: Pressdowns
Exercise 3: Overhead dumbell extension
Exercise 4: Kick backs

To achieve 8% or lower body fat and still maintain muscle mass, It felt like a balancing act. Too few calories and muscle starts to go catabolic, too many and fat will remain. I would venture to say I could achieve that low body fat with diet alone but the addition of cardio for calorie burning twice a day is ideal. Take into consideration I was still maintaining my normal weight training routine, and a full time (very mobile and physical) job, the toll on my body was immense. I was able to maintain mental focus and motivation through videos, books, and constant affirmations. After a while of practicing this it was no longer a choice to wake up and run and go to the gym and repeat day after day. It was a sense of purpose I have never felt before.

Anthony: For most guys getting in and out of the gym isn’t a real problem, eating is their sticking point. Can you tell us a little about your eating habbits/nutrition plan?

Corey: I am 6’2 and had a starting weight of 210 and am now 191. I have continually adjusted ONLY THE PORTION SIZES of this diet to trim down to where I am now. You will have to adjust the amount of calories based on your size/goals.

Meal 1: (after i do about 20-30 minutes of cardio)
A: 1 cup of granola cereal with a non fat milk and 1 scoop of protein isolate (I pour the protein shake over the cereal) and 1 small sliced banana
B:4 egg whites and 2 with yolk over 1 cup of brown rice or 1 slice of toast

- – Gym- -

Post Workout: 2 scoops of (insert post workout protein here. My favorite is Afterglow ) with water.

Meal 2: 6 oz of lean protein (chicken breast/ground turkey, lean beef) and 1/2 cup of brown rice with 1/2 cup of broccoli.

Meal 3: 6 oz of lean protein (chicken breast/ground turkey, lean beef) and 1/2 cup of brown rice with 1/2 cup of broccoli.

Meal 4: 6 oz of lean protein (chicken breast/ground turkey, lean beef) and 1/2 cup of brown rice with 1/2 cup of broccoli. 1 bowl of green leafy lettuce (I prefer spinach) with balsamic vinaigrette and a dab of olive oil. I add carrots/pepperoncinis, jalapenos at my leisure.

Meal 5: 6 oz of lean protein (chicken breast/ground turkey, lean beef) and 1/2 cup of brown rice with 1/2 cup of broccoli.

- – 2nd Cardio Session- -

Before Bed: Depending on my workload from that day (i.e. I may have walked an extra 5-10 miles at work) 1 serving ~80 cals of non-fat cottage cheese and a 160 calorie casein protein shake before bed.

Seasoning, toppings, etc: I only use hot sauce, pepper, and balsamic vinniagrette and olive oil as extra ingredients. I say as long as you are not adding calories and a ton of salt whatever you like is fine.

Now this is bare bones but is very close to what I follow. I am a very realistic person and my job is sometimes extremely demanding and I cant get away to eat but I ALWAYS make sure I have something equivalent whether it be a protein bar, a shake, or a substitute meal. I have to be very creative and proactive.
As far as the starch I occasionally have yams/sweet potatoes, white rice, wheat or rye bread as a substitute but I just happen to prefer rice. I buy the ready to eat kind that you microwave because I’m a lazy cook. Same goes with the broccoli, its just a frozen organic bag of broccoli.

As far as the lean meats go thats usually what I have my hands on. I occasionally substitute with lean fish or salmon usually in the middle of the day.

I am sure there are a million holes in my diet but it has gotten me this far and I will always be ready to adapt it as my needs change and my knowledge increases.

I should put a disclaimer that this is not for the weak of heart. Eating like this hurts more than going to failure on leg extensions. I work with food, enough food to feed thousands. It is delicious food. I have to say no all day everyday. I look at every meal as a small battle. Did I win? Did need to add those condiments? Did I stuff my face just because I felt extra hungry?

This is the plan I followed for cutting.I have simply added larger portions since I have been bulking recently. I added things like butter fat with my breakfast and whole eggs for increased fat calories

 

Anthony: What sort of supplements have helped you achieve your goals?

Corey: I use basic supplements and I am not a huge proponent of them. I have come to learn that most of it is simply marketing. Most of my nutrition comes directly from real food and I use supplements for things that are hard to get enough of i.e. creatine. I use a post work protein that has a healthy sugars for absorption and a casein protein taken before I sleep. I would venture to say that supplements of this nature only make up 3-5% of any actual progress and can easily be dismissed in lieu of food.

Anthony: If you could give advice to the guy out there who is in the shoes you used to be in, what would it be?

Corey: If I could give some advice it would be two-fold. The first is the most important: Get started. Now. The second would be to educate yourself. This applies to how to execute the exercises, how to eat (the most overlooked,) and how important things like sleep and mental health are to achieving your goals. This education portion is an ongoing goal and can never be finished.

Bodybuilding is the most advanced form of transforming your body so trust the process. Nothing builds confidence and gives the trainer more control over how their body will look. My advice would be similar to someone who is skinny and wants to pack on muscle and someone overweight and trying to lose weight and gain muscle, it would simply be a matter of how many calories for each individual. In the case of the overweight person, once a comfortable fat% has been reached they can increase their calories to continue to gain lean mass. This is what I was most comfortable doing since I refused to live while I was still that heavy so the fat had to go first even if that meant my initial muscle gains were stunted due to a caloric deficit.

The post Ripped Redditor: Corey A.K.A Fuh_Queue Interview appeared first on Muscle Class.

I strongly recommend you to create a reddit account and subscribe to reddit.com/r/bodybuilding so you can join the conversation today.

Actually, r/bodybuilding is why I’m writing today.

Recently, redditor Gasp89 had the idea to make a “Mandatory Monday Pose” thread. – Thanks Gasp89, you’re awesome!

The idea is that he creates a thread with a pose of the week, members then submit a picture of them doing the pose.

The thread took off like wild fire, and this guy went straight to the top.

Meet 19 year old Jack Morrow – a.k.a. yutrahkill

If you’re a member of r/bodybuilding, you already know that Jack has an awesome physique, he can also bust out a front double-bi better than any of us. So I’m sitting down with Jack to talk about his bodybuilding achievements – hopefully it motivates you, gives some golden nuggets of knowledge you can apply to your training, and also spreads the word about our great community.

Enjoy!

Anthony: How exactly does the Jack Morrow story start?

Jack:

I grew up underweight and always very ectomorphic. I’d venture to guess that after age 10, I’ve never had more than 8% bodyfat.

For the longest time I was a runner. I wasn’t fast but I was lean, and I grew up being very opposed to having bodyfat. I then was my high school rowing team’s Varsity coxswain, which involved sitting on my ass and yelling at the rowers, who were doing the real work.

Though on the crew team, I learned more about how performance athletes managed their diet.

Anthony: What motivated you to become a bodybuilder?

Jack:

I was tipping the scales at 125-130 pounds, and this upset me. I wasn’t happy with how I looked, and decided to try lifting.

Sophomore year of high school, I went to the gym, where a lot of football players were lifting. I wanted to be big like them, so why not lift like them? I loaded a plate on the bar, and before I knew it, a linebacker was laughing as he pulled the 135 lb bench press back into the rack.

Anthony:I had a similar experience with the “Popular Jocks” making fun of me for not doing exercises correctly in high school. The gym can be an intimidating place. What happened next?

Jack:

I didn’t set foot in the gym again for a year.

When I went back, it was with a football player friend of mine who was an amateur bodybuilder.

He taught me the basics, and I got on a simple 6 day a week split. I followed this for 3 months, gaining maybe 10 lbs to hit 145. After that, things trickled off before I went to college.

This past Christmas, I weighed about 135-140 and was sick of looking semi-decent. I read up every day on diet, training, watched videos of the pros, etc. I went to the gym six days a week, my sessions growing from an hour to ninety minutes, and later past two hours.

Anthony: What sort of training protocol has worked best for you?

Jack:

The past 4 months I’ve started focusing on lifting heavy, and that’s where I’ve seen the most gains. I spent much more time with the big three lifts, though I have a long way to go.

Anthony: Do You Follow Any Specific Workout Routine?

Jack:

I only recently started fully developing my lifting plan myself.

Now I do some powerlifting, some Olympic lifting, and some hypertrophy work each week.

Now that I’m much happier with my aesthetics, it’s time to get stronger and faster.

Nowadays, I could be in the gym anywhere between ninety minutes and two and half hours, depending on my schedule and the body part I’m working.
I’d love to share my exact workout routine, but it’s constantly changing.

Anthony: Do you do any type of cardio?

Jack:

Honestly, not regularly.

Like I said, I have a running background, so that has somewhat stuck with me. Twice since I started lifting, I’ve gone on endurance binges where I worked up to 15 and 10 mile runs, and then I settle back down into the weights.

I ran a triathlon this past summer, and did fairly well. My preference is to stay lean using my diet, and not waste time with cardio.

Anthony: While we’re talking about routines I want to point out two things – You have great arms and you’re insanely lean. What’s the secret?!

Jack:

Hey thanks. I don’t do anything really crazy, but my favorite exercises are the following:

i. For triceps, I love DB Overhhead Press, Kickbacks, and pushdowns. Lately I’ve moved towards more diamond pushups in between sets.

ii. For biceps, I’m a big fan of heavy DB pinwheel curls, Incline Curls done right, and of course concentration curls.

iii. I do not do wrist curls or anything for forearms. I just never us straps.

As for being lean, no specific diet, actually. I’ve never been quantitative in what I eat, but that’s not to say I’m not intentional about what I consume. I eat as much lean protein as possible, and have a couple of hard stop rules.

They are as follows:

• Drink only water and protein
• No desserts
• No fried shit
• No fast food (except Subway)
• No pizza, gravy, bacon, etc. There is always a better option
• Also I eat maybe 6 egg whites a day, or as much as I can get my hands on.

Anthony: What type of supplements, if any, have helped you reach your goals?

Jack:

• I wake up with a whey protein shake, multivitamins, fish oil, and joint support minerals
• After my workout, I’ll have a shake with whey, casein, egg, and creatine
• Before bed, I’ll have a casein shake, melatonin, ZMA, fish oil, and more vitamins

Anthony: I really appreciate the interview Jack. I think it’s going to help a lot of people and spread the word about our community, but before we finish, If you could give one piece of advice to beginners, what would it be?

Jack:

Be consistent. Seriously, this is your greatest weapon as a beginner, it’s mine too.

Don’t take days off or make up bullshit excuses for yourself. If you don’t look the way you want to right now, it’s either that your diet or training needs to train, or you haven’t been at it for long enough. There’s simply no other reason, and you have to figure out what it is and fix it, or continue on your grind.

Keep looking at the pros, but don’t forget to frequently remind yourself of how far you’ve come. It’s easy to get discouraged, but I’ve never had a great lift while sad, you know? So smile, be glad you get to lift, and go kill the weights.

Jack has given me permission to give you guys his email address just in case if you have any more questions for him.

morrow.jack@gmail.com

I hope you guys enjoyed the interview, because I’ve already lined up an interview with redditor Fuh_Queue a.k.a. this guy - http://imgur.com/a/xwhSI

It will be released later this week. Stay tuned!

Note: If you guys have any interview requests or recommendations feel free to leave them here. Also, I just started redesigning the site Saturday afternoon. The new logo should be up soon, it’s being designed, this one is just a placeholder. If you have any feedback on the design/website functionality/content please let me know in the comments. I’m open to all ideas, I just want to provide all the help I can. Thank you.

Photo Credit: Anton Ekman

Bodybuilding.com’s Top 50 Supplements

The post Ripped Redditor: Jack Morrow Interview appeared first on Muscle Class.

P.S – If you don’t know how much you should be eating, see my bodybuilding macros page.

You need to make sure you’re consuming high quality sources of protein, carbohydrates and fat to meet your daily macro nutrient needs.

If your daily maintenence calories are 2,500 you’re going to see different results if you consume 2,500 calories worth of twinkies than you would if you ate 2,500 calories worth of bodybuilder food like lean sources of meat and complex carbohydrates.

So without further ado, here is your bodybuilding food list:

Bodybuilder Protein Sources:

My basic rule for protein is to avoid high fat sources of protein when possible and mainly aim to consume lean sources of protein. Below you will find a list of my favorite and highest recommended protein sources.

• Eggs
• Skinless Chicken Breast
• Ground Turkey
• Steak
• Lean Ground Beef
• Fish
• Cottage Cheese
• Beans

Bodybuilder Carbohydrate Sources:

My basic rule for carbohydrates is to avoid white sources of carbs. Another tip that has helped me get lean is to taper my carbohydrate intake, meaning I take eat the most amount of carbs in the morning and as the day goes on I consume less and less carbs. Breakfast and preworkout are probably my highest carb meals. See the bodybuilding food list below for my highest recommended sources of carbs.

• Oatmeal
• Fruit
• Vegetables
• Potatoes
• Brown Rice
• Whole Wheat Bread

Bodybuilder Fat Sources:

Fat isn’t bad for you if it’s coming from the right places. In fact, there are even healthy fats that every bodybuilder should be consuming. See the list below and make sure these sources of fat are in your daily diet.

• Olive Oil
• Avocado
• Fish Oil
• Nuts
• Natural Peanut Butter

If you still feel like you’re not getting enough protein in your diet, you should definitely supplement your diet with a whey protein shake.

Now you’ve got everything you need to print off your bodybuilding food list and head to the grocery store to stock up on muscle building, fat burning food.

Enjoy!

- Anthony Myers

The post Bodybuilding Food List – 19 Items That You Shouldn’t Skip appeared first on Muscle Class.

You may have heard that caffeine is an unhealthy stimulant that you should stay away from.

I couldn’t disagree more. 

Caffeine is actually an incredibly powerful supplement that has a ton of benefits. Especially if you’re a bodybuilder, power lifter, fitness model, or even just somebody that works out in the gym to look and feel better about themselves.

You can and should use caffeine to improve the quality of your work outs.

Caffeine Offers The Following Benefits:

• Extra Stamina
• Enhanced Alertness
• Increased Heart Rate
• Improved Blood Flow
• Adrenaline Increase
• More Oxygenated Muscles
• Increased Heart Rate

However, in my opinion, the most best benefit that caffeine for working out is that it reduces your muscles consumption of glycogen, which comes with a whole set of benefits in itself!

When your able to reduce your muscles consumption of glycogen, by taking a supplement like caffeine, you will notice immediate results like the burning sensation that comes along with exercises not being quite as extreme.

Getting rid of that pesky burn allows you to workout harder and longer, resulting in more fat burned and more muscle built.

The reason you get that burning sensation in the first place is because your body’s glycogen stores are being depleted and your body is building up lactic acid.

When you take caffeine, the amount of glycogen consumed by your muscles is reduced and so is the amount of lactic acid that is built up. Resulting in a less severe burning sensation during your workouts.

You’ll also notice long term effects from caffeine supplementation, like fat loss.

When caffeine reduces the amount of glycogen your muscles consume it leaves your body with no other choice but to find a different source of fuel to power your workout.

Since your body cannot turn to glycogen as fuel for the workout, guess where it gets the energy?

If you guessed fat, you’re right!

Your body will actually use fat reserves as fuel for your weight training and cardio sessions because the caffeine is discouraging your body from using glycogen for the workout.

Pretty awesome, right?

Now you know the many benefits of using caffeine for working out, let’s go ahead and talk about the proper caffeine dosage.

First, make sure you’re taking a pure caffeine supplement and not getting your caffeine from ridiculous sources like energy drinks and sodas. Those are going to come with so many empty calories that the bad side effects are going to outweigh the good ones.

Some bodybuilders have been known to drink a small cup of black coffee before their workout. I prefer to simply take a caffeine capsule.

You really don’t need a lot of caffeine to see results in your workout. I would simply start off with 100mg of caffeine 1 hour prior to heading to the gym.

I would also recommend you only take your caffeine on workout days so your body doesn’t build up a tolerance.

If you’re taking too much caffeine, and on a daily basis, the positive effects of caffeine are going to slowly diminish.

Lastly, I don’t recommend you take caffeine anywhere near your bed time.

If you usually go to the gym late at night, and come home to sleep right afterwards. I don’t think caffeine is the right supplement for you, as it will probably keep you up all night.

Caffeine is just a tool, and if it comes down to making a choice between using caffeine for working out or getting a good nights rest, you need to get a good nights rest.

The post Caffeine For Working Out – Is It a Good Idea? appeared first on Muscle Class.

If you enjoy going to the gym and working out, I think you’re in the clear. However, if you’re one of those people that has to be dragged into the gym and forced to workout. Boy are you in for a rude awakening.

Here’s why:

Working Out Is The Easy Part

• Lifting heavy things is manly.
• Getting in the zone and working up a sweat is masculine.
• Benching 200lbs+ makes you feel like a BEAST.
• Waking up at the crack of dawn and running like you’re Sylvester Stallone in “Rocky” feels good.

However…

• Counting calories DOESN’T feel manly.
• Ordering a chicken salad when your friends are smashing  burgers and pizza doesn’t feel masculine.
• Drinking water or a protein shake while your friend is enjoying a beer isn’t fun.

You’re probably wondering what I’m getting at. So here’s the secret – Impressive bodies are made in the kitchen, and the kitchen is a way tougher atmosphere than the gym.

It’s not easy to avoid temptation when their is a large pizza sitting on the dining room table. It’s not easy to say no to ice cream. It’s hard to not have dessert at your girlfriends birthday party. However, you need to get used to these 6 words because I promise you they will have a bigger impact on your body than any amount of time in the gym.

The Magic Six Words:

“No Thanks, I Can’t Have That”

You’re in trouble f you become accustomed to making excuses like “I can have cake today… my girlfriend’s birthay only comes once a year” or… “It’s a weekend, I can enjoy a few slices of pizza with my boys”. If this is the way you rationalize your choices, then next year you’re going to look at your body and if you’re lucky will have made no progress at all. Most likely you’ll have gained a bunch of weight and actually be even worse off than you were the year before.

Here’s why…

You can’t out train a shitty diet.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that you are giving 110% in the gym, but let me ask you something. Are you giving 110% in the kitchen? Are you giving 110% when you have dinner at your friends house? Are you giving 110% at the family dinner parties? Are you even giving 100%, how about 75%?  How about 50%… be honest with yourself.

Don’t let all of your hard work go to waste. You are kicking ass in the gym. Start kicking ass in the kitchen!

Before I end this post, I’m going to leave you with a few tips:

• Learn How To Cook!
• Prepare Your Meals a Few Days In Advance, Tupperware Is a Bodybuilders Best Friend
• Avoid liquid calories – Soda, Juice, etc. This is a waste of calories.
• Avoid too many condiments.
• Remember the six magic words: “No Thanks, I can’t have that”

P.S - I’m was never good at cooking. In fact, I sucked at it. This made it hard to stay in shape, because I’m just like you. I like flavorful meals. I don’t want to be eating bland chicken and brown rice for the rest of my life. I mean sure I want a lean muscular body, but not if I have to torture myself with every meal. Thankfully I found this Cook Book – Click Here To Download It. It has over 200 recipes. To be honest I don’t even use most of them, but the lunch recipes alone made this book worth the price.

The post 6 Words That Will Get You Into Shape Quick appeared first on Muscle Class.