Breakfast can be one of the most difficult meals of the day. Not only is it hard to find the motivation to make a proper meal first thing in the morning, it can also be tough to think of new things to eat. Here are two breakfast ideas. The first is for those who are “bulking”:????????

1 Glass of orange juice
1 Banana with peanut butter
4 scrambled eggs
1 cup of oatmeal

If you’re “cutting” and aiming for fat loss, here’s a slightly different looking breakfast:

1 Glass of water
1 Apple
6 Egg whites
1/2 Cup of plain oatmeal (sugar free)

Some days, if you wake up late or are just feeling particularly lethargic, a simple solution is to make a protein shake (either a mass building protein shake, if you’re bulking, or a low-fat, low-carb MRP shake if you’re cutting). Combine that with a banana and you’ve got yourself a healthy, decent breakfast that can fully count as a “meal”.

Also don’t forget that you’re never constrained to traditional breakfast foods. This morning, chicken was the staple of my breakfast. I had it pre-cooked and waiting in the fridge, and the entire meal took me 10 minutes to prepare and eat. So don’t think that you’re limited to eggs every single morning!

In the gym today, someone asked me why I was using chalk on my hands. When I explained to him that it helps me get a better grip on the bar, even when I’m also using a pair of lifting straps, he was stunned. “Why have I never thought of that?” he asked.

Naturally, this made me realize that a lot of people probably haven’t considered using chalk to help them work out. Chalk is an excellent tool to help improve your grip and strength when holding onto almost any barbell or dumbbell. In fact, I use chalk on almost every single exercise in the gym - everything from deadlifts right down to dumbbell presses or shoulder raises. It isn’t too messy and can really help you feel stronger and more confident lifting the weights.

It’s occasionally available at local sports stores, or you can order it online from Bodybuilding.com (it’s cheap - only $8.99 for a big block that’ll last years).