I don’t want to sound like some sort of preacher or political activist, but it crossed my mind today just how lucky we are to be able to engage in a hobby as “trivial” as bodybuilding. Sure, weight lifting is fun - but not everyone in this world is blessed with the ability to do so. Think about, for example, the millions of people living in the Darfur province of Sudan. In Darfur, a genocide rages on every day - 450,000 people have lost their lives since 2003, and another 3 million are homeless. Thankfully, the United Nations approved a 26,000-member peacekeeping force today. Hopefully, everyone in Sudan will get the chance to hit the gym someday soon and experience the pleasures of bodybuilding.

I woke up this morning with a splitting headache, queasy stomach, and general lethargy. To top it off, my memory of last night is spotty at best. Granted, these symptoms will pass in time. My memory of the night might even improve. But what about the effects of alcohol on my muscle building campaign? How much damage have I really done?

 Too much alcohol – that is to say, a full night of near-binge drinking – will have a significant harmful effect on your muscle gains. Having a few drinks is nothing to worry about, but slamming back a 12-pack of your favourite brew over the course of an hour is probably not such a swift idea.  (more…)

As a hardgainer, I have always had trouble gaining weight. My metabolism works at light speed, and it seems as though I’d have to eat ten meals a day just to put on a pound. Throughout my bodybuilding career, packing on the necessary mass has always been my greatest challenge.

A couple of years ago, I came to a point where I felt I had reached my nutrition “peak”. I was eating 6 to 8 meals a day, only an hour or two apart. I was stuffing my face constantly, even when I was full. I was choking down huge, chalky weight gainer shakes several times a day. In fact, I was absolutely certain that I was doing everything that could be done to gain weight. I had come to terms with the fact that I would always gain weight at a snail’s pace.

One day, after I finished a long session venting my weight-gain frustrations, my training partner had an idea.

“Hey man, why don’t you wake up once or twice in the middle of the night and eat something? I mean, when you’re asleep, you’re still burning calories. By the time you wake up, you must be in a serious catabolic state.” (more…)

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