Growth Stimulus Training continued..... Train Hard. Train Smart. GROW!

[2020Wellness]

am i right to say if i cannot hit the target for my macro 2 supplemental exercise, i should repeat the macro 2 supp exercise scheme? or i can move to macro 3 supp exercise scheme but do not increase the weight.
That isn't correct. If you cannot complete the Micro 2 scheme, you'll move onto the Micro 3 scheme the following week, which should be a different scheme. You worry about completing the scheme used in Micro 2 the next time it pops up in the rotation.

Remember, the schemes are constantly rotating between high, medium, and low reps. So there really isn't a 'Micro 1 scheme' or a 'Micro 2 scheme.'

Micro 1 - High
Micro 2 - Medium
Micro 3 - Low
Micro 4 - High

Micro 1 - Medium
Micro 2 - Low
Micro 3 - High
Micro 4 - Medium

Etc.

if i just came back from a deload, can i repeat my last workout scheme to get used to weight lifting again before advancing?
Yes, that's totally fine to do.

See bold.

[nemor44]

Hi Ryan!

Just bought your ebook! Still waiting for the questionary and ebook to arrive, but looking forward to it!

I have never trained following a specific program before, I used to do functional training when I was training MMA, and then always do some complementary work to help with my strength for rock climbing and my endurance for mountaineering, but nothing specific. So this will be my first time, and I'm very excited to start!

On tuesday I will start with micro 0, since monday is my day off, and then to recover my one arm pull up again!

[2020Wellness]

Training Tip

Keep your expectations realistic when it comes to how quickly you should be making strength gains.

It's not realistic to be able to add weight to the bar every single time you hit the gym. If that were possible, we'd all be bench pressing school buses, squatting houses, and deadlifting dump trucks.

Clearly, that's not how it goes.

[2020Wellness]

As an ectomorph, width is not something that comes easy. When training the back, remember something important: include horizontal and vertical pulling exercises!

Horizontal Examples - DB Row, Seated Cable Row, Bent BB Row

Vertical Examples - Pull-up, Chin-up, Pulldowns with multiple grip variations

I can't remember the last time, in 20 years, that a week of training has passed without me including a minimum of one horizontal and one vertical pull exercise!

What are your pulls of choice, and just as importantly, why?

[2020Wellness]

Something to remember and realize when it comes to progressing in the gym:

Just remember, you aren't on a deadline to hit new PRs and you have years and years and years of lifting ahead of you, so being smart as you progress is best.

When you understand that progress is a series of steps forward, standing still, and even steps backward (all resulting in overall forward movement), you can remove that sense of urgency that can hurt you.

Basically, slow down and realize that every single week should not be about doing more than the previous week. You have time to take pauses and still reach your goals.

[2020Wellness]

Keep this information in mind as you venture into the new year:

You don't have to lift weights in order to lose fat. That's a fact.

It's also a fact that if you DO lift weights to help you lose fat, you'll look and feel much better once the fat is lost.

Lifting weights is really a win/win activity and I'm glad to see the overall societal trend is shifting away from pure cardio and moving towards the inclusion of weight training for everyone.

[2020Wellness]

When Bodyweight Isn't Enough - Three Easy Ways to Add Weight to Dips & Pullups

Most people start out doing dips and pullups on a machine that takes weight away from their body and gives them assistance. Once they've built enough strength, they move away from the machine and hit the dip bars and pullup bar to do reps with their bodyweight. Using your own bodyweight for dips and pullups is a great goal and you're stronger than average if you make it to that point. However, what comes next? Another level definitely exists!

The next level involves adding weight to your body so you can progress past your bodyweight. Since there is no machine that instantly adds weight to your body, I'm going to teach you three ways to do it.

1. The Dip Belt - This is the easiest method and it involves using a belt that wraps around your waist or hangs off of your hips. The belt has a chain connected to it and you thread that chain through weight plates or hang a dumbbell in the chain. Wearing the belt with weight attached to it adds weight to your body and you're ready to go!

This video illustrates the dip belt method:

2. The Dumbbell Behind the Knee Method - You won't see many people doing this, but it works very well when you don't have access to a dip belt. Simply grab a dumbbell, make your way to your dip or pullup station, place the handle of the dumbbell against the back of your knee, and bend your leg. Your bent leg will hold the dumbbell in place surprisingly well and you'll have quickly added weight to your body. This method has a limitation, as you can't hold real heavy dumbbells and without a spotter you can only put a dumbbell behind one knee (unless you can float). Regardless, this method will get the job done for most people. I personally recommend switching off which leg is holding the dumbbell with every set to keep things balanced.

3. Stretching An Anchored Resistance Band - This will definitely be the most rarely seen method. The only person I've ever seen doing it in a gym is myself, to be honest. This method involves anchoring one end of a resistance band with a dumbbell and holding the other end behind your knee or knees like I described with the dumbbell method above. This provides varying resistance throughout each rep. Remember, the higher you lift your body, the more the band will stretch, and the more resistance you'll have to work against. This method is the most involved to set up, gives you the least amount of knowledge on how many pounds you're actually adding to your body, and should be chosen only if methods 1 and 2 above can't be done. Regardless, it does work.

Here is an example:


Now, LEVEL UP with any of these three methods!

[2020Wellness]

I wrote this up for a client who asked about my foods and how I generally do things in the kitchen day-to-day. It was helpful for them, so I figured I'd post it for everyone to see.

My meals are pretty repetitive, to be honest. I guess it's just been a habit for so long that I don't care too much about variety anymore and just like to try and minimize the amount of prep time I have for food each day.

Proteins - Whey, cottage cheese, chicken, tuna, red meat, milk, egg whites

Fruits - Apples, bananas, orange juice, raspberries, blueberries

Vegetables - My weakest area, to be honest, and I should really eat more of these. Broccoli, spinach, carrots, lettuce

Starches - Potatoes, bread, rice, cereals, snack mixes like Chex mix

Fats - Peanut Butter, cashews, almonds, fats from meats, avocado, salad dressings, whole eggs

So those are the main foods I eat to make up the bulk of my meals. We're always pressure cooking/air frying chicken so there is pre-made portions to grab. Whey is something I have every morning for convenience. Cottage cheese is also very easy and I'll usually have that at night before bed.

Then I'll just generally add in different fruits, vegetables, starches, and fats to my meals using foods from the lists above. They usually aren't fancy meals, just combinations of foods that I know my serving sizes for and sound good at the time. I follow my rules of getting my protein in every meal, hitting calories at the end of the day, and then getting carbs and fats in, but not worrying as much about their specific gram intakes.

And since I'm not worried as much about the fat/carb grams, I'll use things like chips or other 'junk' foods from time to time as well. Like once a day I'll have a protein source and then Doritos with it because the Doritos give me both carbs and fats and they're easy to weigh out, plus they taste good and everyone likes chips. I'll do the same thing with chips and salsa a few times per week. But you have to weigh out your chips, otherwise you'll go overboard

So that's the general rundown of how I do things. Always have a protein source and those don't change much, have a good base of other macro sources, and then use non-typical foods to keep things interesting about once per day.

Hopefully this helps you out and just reminds you to keep things simple, as that works the best for people who are busy.

[2020Wellness]

How do I track my calories, make dinner, and eat the same dinner as my family?

In terms of eating with your family at dinner, it's honestly about you making the foods and knowing what is going in them. If you do that, you will know the total calories for the recipe and then portion it accordingly for yourself. Your family could then just eat reasonable servings, as they won't be on the plan you're on.

My suggestion for situations like this is to keep dinner recipes very simple, as the more ingredients you use, the more numbers you have to track and worry about.

Picking a meat, then one or two seasoned vegetables, and then a fat or a starch added on the side will keep things simple.

If you make a recipe that has 10 ingredients, you can see how that's much more demanding (in multiple ways) than 3 or 4 basic ingredients. Keep the ingredients simple and let the seasonings change the tastes.

It can be done, especially if it's usually just for one meal with the family per day (dinner usually)!

Pictured are a couple of examples:

1. Chicken breast w/ seasoned sweet potatoes and spinach with a little italian dressing. A protein, a starch, a vegetable, and a fat.

2. Chicken thighs with seasoned broccoli and seasoned rice. A protein/fat, a starch, and a vegetable.

[2020Wellness]

Generally people have no problem feeling their abs work during a sit-up or crunch motion. However, there is one move that many people do have problems with, and it's the Kneeling Cable Crunch.

The reason for this problem is that many people are doing it incorrectly. Here is a video and some tips for getting this one right. And once you do get it right, it'll change everything for you.

This is the video I always go to for people who can't feel their abs during Kneeling Cable Crunches and here are my tips:

1. The key is to actually let your back arch at the top of each rep (stretching the abs) and then round the back at the bottom (flexing the abs).

2. Just keeping your core tight the whole time and moving it up and down isn't actually relaxing and contracting the abs. This is a huge concept to grasp.

3. You can use the rope attachment or you can use two single handle attachments (my preference), which tends to give a better grip as the sets go on.

[Genefrancis22]

its all consistency and dedication

unfortunately with gyms closed in many places around north america and europe you will have to innovate at home with bodyweight excercises

[2020Wellness]

its all consistency and dedication

unfortunately with gyms closed in many places around north america and europe you will have to innovate at home with bodyweight excercises

For the time being, that's likely the case for those without a home gym. The good thing is that muscle mass maintenance is much easier than growth, so all us who've been growing prior to this situation can enjoy some active recovery time.

[majorintensity]

This routine is definitely worth trying, as soon as gyms open back up.

[2020Wellness]

Gyms aren't opening anytime soon, so it's time to either adapt or stall your progress. You should adapt.

Today's Trainer Tip is going to focus on cardio you can do with no equipment, just your body. This tip was brought on by a question from a client of mine. I want to share the answer with all of you, as it's going to spice up those walks everyone seems to be going on now.

In this tip, you'll see the term HIIT mentioned. HIIT = High Intensity Interval Training, which is essentially just a pattern of short burst very hard work, followed by a cool down period, followed by another burst of very hard work, followed by another cool down period, etc etc etc.

Question: I want to include some HIIT that I can do at home. I often see you post your quick and intense cardio routines but they always involve the need for a gym for exercises such as farmers walk, or cycle sprints etc.

Would doing burpees (an exercise I can do in my living room) be OK? Such as 1 minute of burpees followed by 1 minute rest and repeating a certain number of times?

Answer: Yes, that would be OK. You DO NOT need a gym for quality HIIT that actually can build muscle and strength while burning calories and improving your cardio health. Here are some activities to use:

Pushup variations
Jumping rope
Jumping jacks
Jump squats
Jump lunges
Burpees
Sprints
Power skipping
Mountain climbers
and anything else challenging that you can think of.

You can just choose one thing or rotate through multiple choices. I recommend choosing an upper, lower, and general movement. An example would be Pushups for 60 seconds, Jump Squats for 60 seconds, then Jumping Rope for 60 seconds. Rest 2-3 minutes between each activity to walk around or stretch and then do that cycle 2-3 times for a total of 6-9 intervals.

Any questions?

[freddie75104]

Hey Ryan, its been a while but im sitting here watching video and body booking (as my wonderful wife calls it) and thought i would say hello,
for what its worth I think think you are a great online coach and hand out a lot of free content. Not everyone is willing to do that. I think you genuinely care about your customers and your profession in general. I cant remember when i became a customer or, for that matter when I decided to move on, but I was reading some of your recent posts and wanted to let the new folks know that I think you are of great quality and
are very knowledgeable. I still revisit GST from time to time and GST usually helps me continue progress, break a plateau, or just a change of pace. My goals are a bit different these days but I still need that ( keep the body guessing ) influence. Old folks dont like change, but I find it works very well to keep that all important progress going. Anyway, maybe ill visit a little more often, now that weve all got a little more time to spend around the house, lol. If you ever hear from FastCatChamp, tell him hello, maybe he remembers me from your original thread. Good luck with your training goals and stay heathy!!



Freddie

[2020Wellness]

Hey Ryan, its been a while but im sitting here watching video and body booking (as my wonderful wife calls it) and thought i would say hello,
for what its worth I think think you are a great online coach and hand out a lot of free content. Not everyone is willing to do that. I think you genuinely care about your customers and your profession in general. I cant remember when i became a customer or, for that matter when I decided to move on, but I was reading some of your recent posts and wanted to let the new folks know that I think you are of great quality and
are very knowledgeable. I still revisit GST from time to time and GST usually helps me continue progress, break a plateau, or just a change of pace. My goals are a bit different these days but I still need that ( keep the body guessing ) influence. Old folks dont like change, but I find it works very well to keep that all important progress going. Anyway, maybe ill visit a little more often, now that weve all got a little more time to spend around the house, lol. If you ever hear from FastCatChamp, tell him hello, maybe he remembers me from your original thread. Good luck with your training goals and stay heathy!!

Freddie

Hey Freddie!

This is really amazing to see you taking the time to pop back in and provide a review of what I offer to people who reach out. I definitely remember FastCatChamp too. It's crazy that it's been like 10 years, huh?

I'm glad to know you're still moving in and out of GST programming too. The concepts will stand the test of time and the actual program will too. There are some other people who I met through here who are still using the programming too. They've been on it for years.

Of course, new people are jumping on it too. The guys on it for years are really cool for me to see though.

Thanks again for stopping back in here and anything you ever want to ask about training or nutrition, just do it in here and I'll give you my thoughts.

Ryan

[2020Wellness]

I feel it’s an amazing feat if you can put forward more effort than usual in times where it’s so easy to just sit and feel down.

Right now it’s easy to be sad, but there is no doubt that physically taking care of yourself brightens your day and makes your quality of life better.

To be motivated and driven enough to get up, make things happen, and care for your body is something to be proud of. If you’re already killing your workouts and making good food decisions through this virus BS, I applaud you.

If you’re on the verge, but haven’t taken actions yet, just do it. You’ll be happy you did, along with being a stronger and healthier person in a time where strength and health are important.

[2020Wellness]

Why Am I Gaining Weight Right Now?!

Whether it's in the gym or outside of the gym, there is a mega correlation between how active a person is and how many calories they need to consume for their goal of fat loss or muscle gain.

Currently, people are moving less and, as a result, are burning fewer daily calories.

It's a common issue right now for people, so you are not alone it sounds like I'm talking to you. When we don't have to get up and go to work, walk through stores, do things outside, and just do anything really, we drop our daily caloric burn.

Unfortunately, the calorie amount we consumed to maintain weight in the past now transforms into the calorie amount that will result in us gaining weight. As activity decreases, calorie intake must as well, provided we maintain the same goal.

To summarize, you're gaining weight because you're moving less and eating more. The solution, if you can't move more, is to eat less.

[IllumIne]

Thanks for the great info!

[IllumIne]

Thanks for the great info!

[2020Wellness]

Thanks for the great info!

You're welcome. If you have any questions about the program, just ask in here and I'll answer them, as usual.

[willybrokeback]

I realize that you can cut pretty much on any program, but it seems some are a bit better suited for it. Is this program decent for cutting? I have a pretty bad back and have to modify things as well, but I am looking for a new program and was considering this. BTW- I am really a perma-bulker who is constantly trying to cut and just keep getting larger. I think I can bulk at 2500K/cal and Im 250.

[2020Wellness]

I realize that you can cut pretty much on any program, but it seems some are a bit better suited for it. Is this program decent for cutting? I have a pretty bad back and have to modify things as well, but I am looking for a new program and was considering this. BTW- I am really a perma-bulker who is constantly trying to cut and just keep getting larger. I think I can bulk at 2500K/cal and Im 250.

Willy,

I've had endless clients cut successfully, some even down to bodybuilding competition leanness, while using this program. The program is able to be altered for different preferences, so it works for different nutrition phases and different peoples' personal preferences.

Cutting is all about the nutrition intake, not so much about the actual training program. However, there are smarter ways to train while in a deficit since it's a time when strength isn't at PR levels and the chance of injury is greater.

This program can be modified to avoid super heavy work and can also be modified to hit medium and high rep ranges more often than low rep ranges if you prefer that while cutting. All in all, the answer is yes, it can be used for cutting. The variations allowed make it suitable depending on the person.

Great question, BTW.

[2020Wellness]

Calorie Needs and Inactivity Due to Quarantine

A past client recently reached out to me and told me how their past fat loss calorie and macro numbers aren't working for them anymore. They explained how they are not lifting weights right now and aren't working either, but are still trying to lose some fat right now. They wondered why their numbers that worked in the past are no longer giving the same results.

Here is my response:

I read through your email a couple of times and I'm going to chalk your lack of fat loss up to a change in activity, overall. Numbers that produced fat loss before just aren't going to do that right now. You aren't lifting, so your body isn't in a state of repair and recovery, nor are you physically burning those calories during your lifts. You're also not working, so those hours being on your feet and just doing things in general at work aren't there anymore. You're living a sedentary lifestyle right now, which means less daily calorie burn both in and out of the gym.

As it will always be with fat loss and stalling, the solution is to reduce calories further or become more active. Since more activity probably isn't an option, especially weight training, reducing calories would be the move to make. I know it's weird having to go abnormally low, but it's also a good lesson in how much activity matters and you can learn something new from this situation.

Being active can make your dieting life easier and your life more enjoyable in general, as a result. Who's going to be happier and feel better; the inactive person who can't eat much without gaining weight or the active person who can eat more and look and feel great?
All in all, if you can be more active through outdoor cardio, I would do that. It should lessen the degree to which you'll have to adjust your calories downward. If you can't add cardio at the moment, then it's going to come down purely to a downward calorie adjustment that is significant enough to get that scale moving again.

[shezmic]

Calorie Needs and Inactivity Due to Quarantine

A past client recently reached out to me and told me how their past fat loss calorie and macro numbers aren't working for them anymore. They explained how they are not lifting weights right now and aren't working either, but are still trying to lose some fat right now. They wondered why their numbers that worked in the past are no longer giving the same results.

Here is my response:

I read through your email a couple of times and I'm going to chalk your lack of fat loss up to a change in activity, overall. Numbers that produced fat loss before just aren't going to do that right now. You aren't lifting, so your body isn't in a state of repair and recovery, nor are you physically burning those calories during your lifts. You're also not working, so those hours being on your feet and just doing things in general at work aren't there anymore. You're living a sedentary lifestyle right now, which means less daily calorie burn both in and out of the gym.

As it will always be with fat loss and stalling, the solution is to reduce calories further or become more active. Since more activity probably isn't an option, especially weight training, reducing calories would be the move to make. I know it's weird having to go abnormally low, but it's also a good lesson in how much activity matters and you can learn something new from this situation.

Being active can make your dieting life easier and your life more enjoyable in general, as a result. Who's going to be happier and feel better; the inactive person who can't eat much without gaining weight or the active person who can eat more and look and feel great?
All in all, if you can be more active through outdoor cardio, I would do that. It should lessen the degree to which you'll have to adjust your calories downward. If you can't add cardio at the moment, then it's going to come down purely to a downward calorie adjustment that is significant enough to get that scale moving again.

I've read through your posts and found great value. I do believe that with any effort put, consistency is the key to achieving results.

[2020Wellness]

Zero Day: A day where you take no action towards a personal goal and make no progress towards a personal goal.

Have you had a zero day in the past week? How about the past month?

Is today going to be a zero day or will you take an action towards a goal you have later on? Perhaps you're killing it and have already made your progress for the day or are in the middle of it right now.

Whether you do something small or something big over the course of a day, progress is made. Keep this in mind the next time you feel a zero day coming on.

Even a small action will move the line forward and have you feeling accomplished.

[2020Wellness]

An Important Note About Warming Up

When warming exercises in the gym, don't forget this important rule:

The closer an exercise's working weight is to your 1 Rep Max of that exercise, the more important warming up that exercise becomes.

Following this rule can save you from injury and also improve performance.

[2020Wellness]

The people who get the biggest and the strongest or those who achieve the most amazing fat loss transformations are those who train for themselves. They train day after day because they truly enjoy it and it's benefits.

These people start for different reasons, such as impressing someone they like, for a sport, or because someone is picking on them in school, but those reasons quickly fall to the wayside and are overpowered by their discovery of how much they like to train!

So I ask you....... WHY DO YOU TRAIN?

[2020Wellness]

When incline pressing, either with a barbell or dumbbells, what degree of incline do you use?

30? 45? 60?

My personal favorites are 45 and 60.

[2020Wellness]

When lifting weights, do you track how much weight you're using for main exercises and do you try to increase those weights over time?

If you do not do this right now, I highly recommend doing it. Even if you're just adding 5-10lbs per exercise per month, that's something that can help you increase calorie burning and build new muscle and strength.

Training in the gym is a great decision at any level, but actually tracking how much weight you're using and systematically moving your weights up over time is how you take your body to the next level and benefit more from the time you're in the gym. Like I said, even just a 5-10lb increase per month will give you benefits. Why not do this and make the most out of your time

What about cardio? Do you go for steady paced runs? If you do, adding in a handful of intervals during your runs can help you add activity and get more out of your runs.

This would simply consist of adding in some 20-30 second sprints throughout the run. Space them evenly from the start of the run to the finish and give yourself a few minutes of jogging in between so you can catch your breath. You will get more out of your runs and it makes them more challenging and interesting too.

These two tips can honestly change the way you look and feel in a short period of time. Put them to use and maximize the time you spend training with weights and cardio.