The Muscle Blog

Genetics & Athletic Performance

Mike Bowman — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:53:06 +0000

It’s certainly no secret that genes play a significant role in fitness and athleticism. But to what extent are genetics responsible for a person’s athletic success?

This article on genetic performance might provide some insight. It seems likely that in the near future, a simple blood test will be enough to determine whether a baby will have the potential to become a champion marathoner, bodybuilder, or boxer. Wouldn’t it be convenient if you could take a genetic test to determine how many hours a week you should be training? I’d love to know how much I need to train before it becomes ‘overtraining’…

Cardio & Fat Loss Aren’t Always Boring

Mike Bowman — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 02:37:59 +0000

Now that summer is just around the corner, I’m guessing that like me, many of you are in a ‘cutting’ phase. You want to look fantastic at the beach this summer, and make sure your abs look like they’ve been chiseled from limestone. One of the most annoying aspects about cutting is the cardio that’s required. It can be tediously boring to go for a run every morning or spend an hour on the stationary bike. Here are some ideas to spice up your cardio (some actually provide *better* cardio than traditional activities like jogging):

Swimming: If you work out at a rec center with a pool, this is especially easy. Swimming is a fantastic cardiovascular workout, and it is very low impact. Great substitute to running if you have bad knees or a bad back (like me). Try alternating a swim day with a jogging day.

Mountain biking: Fun! Need I say more? A great workout and a lot of fun. You don’t really need a ‘mountain’, just some dirt trails or gravel roads.

Squash: Wow, what a workout! Squash is one of my favourite sports, and nothing makes me sweat like a good game of squash. It’s easy to learn (I mean really easy) and it’s a ton of fun. And trust me, you won’t find a better cardio workout anywhere.

Boxing/kickboxing/martial arts: Boxing, kickboxing and martial arts are fantastic workouts. They’re fun, not overly expensive, and you leave each class having learned practical new skills.

Soccer: A full game of soccer with some friends can be an intense workout. Just make sure you play for at least half an hour, and there’s no doubt you’ll get in some serious cardio.

There’s plenty of other ways to make your cardio fun, these are just a few suggestions. For me, the key is variety – one day a game of squash, the next day a swim, and then a jog on the beach. Mixing it up keeps me motivated and interested. A little good music on my iPod doesn’t hurt, either!

Bodybuilding Breakfast Ideas

admin — Tue, 27 May 2008 18:17:33 +0000

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!

Chalk for Bodybuilding

Mike Bowman — Fri, 09 May 2008 09:43:36 +0000

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).

The Perfect Muscle Building Meal

Mike Bowman — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:51:14 +0000

One reader emailed me last week with an intriguing question. “If you could choose only one meal to eat,” he asked, “what would it include?” Naturally, I would want a meal that would healthy and taste good. But more importantly I would want a meal that would be ideal for muscle building.

It would need to be relatively low fat, high protein, and have complex carbohydrates. It would need a fruit and a vegetable, and probably a source of lean meat. It would probably be a fairly big meal, too – after all, I’m a bodybuilder, and I need plenty of calories to fuel my muscle building efforts. Here’s what I came up with:

One glass of water
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cooked
¾ cup of whole grain rice, cooked
1 Cup of mixed vegetables (broccoli and carrots), cooked
1 Cup of fruit salad (pineapple, orange, grapefruit)
1 Cup of low-fat yogurt

Some might look at this and say, “wow, that’s a huge meal.” Keep in mind, though, that not every meal needs to be this big, or as complicated – it’s just my idea of a perfect bodybuilding meals. I’ve got protein (chicken breasts), complex carbs (brown rice), fruit/vegetables, and a dairy product. For these reasons, I think this meal is about as close to perfect as a person could come.

I might eat two or three meals of this size each day, while the other meals interspersed between would be smaller – something more like a can of tuna and a banana, or a fried egg sandwich and a salad. Not every meal needs to be complicated or difficult to prepare. Sometimes it also helps to pre-cook food for a couple of days in advance. In a future blog post, I’ll discuss ways to save time while cooking. Until then, bon appetite!

Website Changes

Mike Bowman — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 09:41:11 +0000

Over the next few weeks, you’ll notice some changes here at the Muscle Gain Guide. We’re giving the website a ‘facelift’ and making it easier to navigate. We’ll also be adding a bunch of new articles, written mainly by our own in-house fitness experts. You’ll also notice more frequent blog updates with some great new content. I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our regular readers and visitors - thanks for all your emails and please keep them coming! Happy lifting.

Progression!

Mike Bowman — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 23:12:23 +0000

The other day, I was chatting with muscle building guru Sean Nalewanyj. “You know,” he said, “so many people don’t understand how important progression is to weight lifting. In fact, progression is the basis for muscle gains. Without it, you’re simply spinning your tires.”

What he means is that you need to be constantly lifting more and more weight. Each workout, you should be improving over the last (even if that just means one more rep than you got last week!). Some weeks, you’ll find that you can’t progress or add weight, or maybe you’ll even do one less rep at the same weight. But the most important thing is that you’re constantly striving to improve over the long run. Progression leads to constant stimulus of the muscles - and of course, that leads to big gains!

Here’s an example from my own workout log for deadlift progression over an 8-week period:

Week 1: 7 x 395lbs
Week 2: 9 x 395lbs
Week 3: 8 x 400lbs
Week 4: 8 x 400lbs
Week 5: 6 x 405lbs
Week 6: 7 x 405lbs
Week 7: 7 x 405lbs
Week 8: 7 x 410lbs

Top Muscle Building Supplements

Mike Bowman — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 20:03:15 +0000

How often can you find good bodybuilding advice in Forbes magazine? Not very often. But a few months ago, Forbes released an in-depth article on the ‘top muscle building supplements’. To my surprise, they didn’t simply hack down all supplements as a waste of money. In fact they spoke to a couple of experts who praised both creatine and whey protein powder.

Forbes Article on Muscle Building Supplements

The findings of the article are very similar to our supplement suggestions in our supplement review section.

Taking A Bodybuilding Break

Mike Bowman — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 04:02:17 +0000

Bodybuilding has a tendency to quickly turn from hobby to obsession. That’s why every once in a while it’s wise to take a break. From a physiological standpoint, there’s no harm in taking a week off every few months. From a psychological perspective, it can be hugely beneficial.

Most experts recommend taking a week off once per 12-week lifting program. You could probably safely skip a few consecutive workouts once every 8 weeks, if you feel the need. It also helps your body recover from the constant stress of non-stop workouts. Lifting three or four times a week for months on end puts significant stress on your muscles and joints. For this reason, taking time off can help prevent injuries.

Keep in mind, though, that you can never really take a week off of eating. During your week’s break from the gym, you should still continue eating and sleeping properly.

Happy New Years!

Mike Bowman — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 03:05:44 +0000

Happy Holidays to everyone and welcome to 2008! For Christmas, I asked for a big bucket of protein powder and some new lifting straps. Ask and ye shall receive! Anyway, all