Testosterone is a hormone that all bodybuilders strive to elevate, and keep elevated.  Testosterone is 100% necessary to build and maintain muscle mass, whereas it’s counterpart Estrogen can, and will, prevent the development of muscle mass.  In the broadest terms possible, hormonally, men are dominated by Testosterone, and women are dominated by Estrogen.  There are plenty of other hormones, and there are actually two different measures of testosterone levels, but for the sake of this article, we’re only going to talk about them in broad terms.  So, we want to build muscle;  This means that we need to get our Testosterone levels higher. . .  But how do you do this naturally?  Well, here are 9 of the most effective (and 1 that’s fun but not very effective) natural methods for boosting testosterone levels:

1)  Do compound lifts.  In my current workout plan, I don’t have a “leg day,” because I start every workout with either Deadlifts, Squats, or a variant.  Studies have shown that compound movements, such as Deads, Squats, Bench Press, Military Press, Pull Ups, and others, dramatically increase testosterone levels when done with a weight that keeps you in the 5 rep area.  This is why Deadlifts are regularly done in a 1X5 fashion, and Squats in the 3X5 or 5X5.

2)  Supplement with Zinc.  A Zinc deficiency can hinder Testosterone Production, and Zinc is also capable of converting Estrogen into Testosterone.  The best way to ensure healthy Zinc levels is through diet and supplementation of Zinc, specifically ZMA.  ZMA is a fantastic Zinc supplement that is also chock full of Magnesium and B6, and I take it nightly.  (It’s worth noting that ZMA is claimed to be a sleep aid, as well.  See #5)  Great places to get it from food:  Shellfish, poultry, and most nuts and seeds.

3)  Get your Vitamin D.  Whether through fun in the sun or supplements, make sure you get plenty of Vitamin D.  Again, RDI is 400 – 800 IU, but levels necessary to dramatically increase testosterone levels are closer to 3,000 IU.  In addition to helping regulate testosterone levels, Vitamin D can also reduce the concentration of the “Aromatase” enzyme.

4)  Limit (or eliminate) alcohol consumption.  We’ve mentioned what happens internally when you drink alcohol, but alcohol consumption directly affects testosterone levels by halting testosterone production, depleting Zinc levels, and making it difficult for your body to breakdown estrogen in the liver.

5)  Lose body fat.  Body fat contains an enzyme called “Aromatase” that is known to convert testosterone into estrogen.  The higher your body fat percentage, the higher concentration of this enzyme, thus, a higher estrogen level.

6)  Rest harder than you train on a daily basis.  A study by the University of Chicago showed that men who got little sleep had significantly lower testosterone levels than those who got 6 – 8 hours;  A separate study showed that testosterone levels could drop as much as 40% with lack of sleep.   Your body produced most of your daily testosterone while you sleep, which is why it’s imperative you get adequate rest–  Couple that with the fact that sleep time is when your muscles rebuild and grow shows just how important daily rest is.

7)  Stop stressing out!  Stress releases the “stress hormone” cortisol, which can shut down testosterone production, and is proven to store fat.  This can lead to a vicious cycle since (As we saw in #4) body fat can lead to lower testosterone levels and higher estrogen levels.  So try and relax more often, or consider a cortisol blocker, such as. . .

8)  Supplement with Vitamin C.  Our Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of Vitamin C is only 75 mg, which is enough to function, but Vitamin C in high doses can help you in many ways:  Vitamin C in the 1,000 to 2,000 mg range can be an effective cortisol blocker;  and Vitamin C in the 1,000 to 2,000 range can also reduce the concentration of the enzyme, “Aromatase.”

9)  Talk to women.  Studies have shown that a five minute conversation with an “attractive female” can affect testosterone levels–  Not as much as anything else on this list, but it’s still worth mentioning!

10)  Become aroused as often as possible.  Yes, it may seem strange, but sexual arousal heightens testosterone levels immensely.  One study even found that watching just four minutes of erotica enhances performance on a 3 rep squat.  (Powerlifting, basically.)  Even better, it was previously believed that achieving sexual climax would adversely affect testosterone levels, however, emerging studies are showing this may not be the case  (Or if it is, it’s a negligible amount).  Have an issue with this?  Increasing testosterone levels naturally (Through the steps on this page) will lead to an increase in libido which will increase chances of arousal, thus, boosting testosterone!

We hope these all help you!  Think of it like this:  There’s a faucet that’s always running–  One knob controls testosterone, and the other estrogen–  Only one side can be opened at once. . .  Which do you want flowing?

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No long post today, just a few pointers for the start to 2013 regarding New Year Resolutions.

Seriously. Brace Yourselves.

If you’re a regular gym goer, be patient.  Every year, the month of January turns the gym into a mad house;  What’s especially frustrating is watching people take up equipment and knowing that you’ll only see them during the month of January.  If you’re an impatient person, now is the time to hone your skills and become patient, especially if you have a training day scheduled for the first of the year.  (As we do. . .  I try to plan maintenance weeks around the beginning of the year, but this year it didn’t line up.)

If you’re one of the “New Year Resolution Gym Members,” don’t be.  A healthy lifestyle is just that–  A lifestyle.  Resolving to go the gym all year “as my next year resolution” won’t cut it, nor will creating a resolution simply from pressure by others;  The desire to change has to be present, otherwise you’ll only ever know the gym during January.

If you are making health, fitness, nutrition, or all of the above a part of your new year resolutions, be realistic.  I’ve read countless articles about the reason resolutions fail, and in most cases, it’s because unrealistic resolutions were decided on.  Start small, and allow your goals to evolve as you reach certain benchmarks, or stick with it long enough.  Everything in life can be looked at as a staircase;  You can try to jump from the floor to the sixth step, but failure is very likely. . .  It’s best to look at the path ahead and take it one step at a time.  (Even if your resolutions have nothing to with health or fitness, that still applies!)

Regarding my health / fitness goals, I only really have two, and both are within my grasp since I’ve been working toward them for some time:  The first is to finally deadlift four plates (405 lbs. 1 X 5);  I’ve been working on this for over a year and am at 395 lbs. currently.  My second goal is to continue on the path I’m on and compete in a natural physique competition this summer.

We just survived the “Apocalypse,” so let’s make 2013 a great year!

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I wanted to take a little time today to debunk a major myth among women. Women shouldn’t do heavy weight lifting. For some reason as a society we have trained ourselves to think that it is just fine for men to lift heavy in the gym, but that women should only lift light weights and do more reps of the exercise.

Women have a fear that if they start to lift heavy they will get huge and bulky muscle, this is only a concern if that woman is taking steroids. The female body doesn’t produce enough testosterone to build muscle like that. All that will happen when a woman lifts heavy is that she will start to build some muscle  burn more fat, and look leaner and more toned.

I recently told another lady how much weight I can deadlift (195lbs) and her response was hysterical to me. She said “lifting weight that is heavier than you can’t be good for your body.” I am not sure how she even decided that in her head because I can see absolutely no reason that could possibly be bad for you. If you train with correct posture and know how lifting heavy will never hurt you.

I can’t even begin to describe how much my body has changed for the good since I really started lifting heavy. I look better, I feel confident in my abilities and my appearance, and I know that I can handle anything that comes my way physically.

If you are a woman, do yourself a favor… start lifting heavier weights. You won’t believe how quickly your body will transform and how much stronger you will become.

If you do it right you will only gain benefits!

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What is the purpose of a weight belt?  I think that may be the easiest question I ask throughout the course of this article.  Everyone can agree that a weight belt is used to prevent injury, right?  Do you know how a weight belt prevents injury?  I’ll admit, when I first purchased my weight belt, I had no idea how it really worked, or why I should choose a particular belt over a different one.  So, I chose one that looked like it provided plenty of back support.

This looks. . . Supportive. I think.

I’m about to tell you that you probably don’t know the main purpose of a weight belt.  There are two ways that your weight belt prevents injury.  Somewhere along the way, people stopped understanding the mechanics of the body while lifting;  Instead, people focus only on the secondary method of injury prevention that the belt offers  (And even then, people don’t use it properly / know what’s going on);  This, incidentally, is not nearly as important, or employed nearly as often.

Think about it. . .  When you look at a weight belt, most of the time, the backside of the belt is larger than the rest of the belt.  In reality, though, I would be better off wearing my weight belt backward.

Why is this?  How can we be so wrong about weight belts?  Well, here’s how it actually works, and to demonstrate, we’ll talk about a hypothetical dead lift.  You approach the bar, and put your weight belt on and make sure it is strapped ultra tight;  It should also be strapped across your “gut,” not below it. You take a deep breath and flex your abs, pushing your abs hard against the weight belt.  You then perform your lift, and when finished, immediately unstrap your belt.

Let’s deconstruct that.  The belt needs to be strapped ultra tight, and (specifically) across your gut because that is how it works.  The weight belt helps to brace your back internally.

Internally!?  What does that mean?  Basically, you need to support your lower back by increasing “Intra-Abdominal Pressure.” (IAP)  During your lift, by increasing the pressure inside your abdominal cavity, you’re putting immense support in front of your lower back.  By bracing your lower back from the font, you’re deflecting strain from your Erector Spinae, which would otherwise be unsupported.  In addition, an increase in IAP helps decrease lower back compression, which some people may experience during heavy lifting.

That is the main purpose of a weight belt–  It gives your abs something to push against in order to dramatically increase your IAP, in addition to physically compressing the contents of the abdominal cavity, thus also increasing IAP. (It’s for this reason that, if a belt is worn properly, which is really tight, you shouldn’t wear it for extended periods, and typically, will need to take it off [or loosen it] directly after your lift.)

If all of that seemed a bit wordy, here’s a sentence from one of my sources: “In a nutshell, a lifting belt provides a wall for your abs to push against.” – Matt Biss

So, what is the secondary method of injury prevention?  Well, a proper weight belt will be the same width all the way around, made of a very rigid material (such as leather), and ideally 3 – 4 inches wide.  When worn over your stomach in the proper fashion, this will create a sort of rigid cage that will keep you from hyper extending your back by connecting your ribcage to your hips.  This is only really necessary with overhead lifts and overhead squats, as the load above you can cause you to bend or twist in a way that could cause injury if you’re not in complete control through the lift.

When should weight belts be worn?  Well, when you look around your gym, I’m sure you’ll see some crazy people using them for Bicep Curls, Bench Presses, and other exercises, but the list of exercises where it will do any good is very small:  Squats (and all squat variations), Good Mornings, Deadlifts, and Military Press.  That’s about it.  If you’re wearing it during any other exercise, you’re just showing people that you don’t know what you’re doing, and you can’t claim ignorance now that you’ve read this article.  You’re welcome.

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Every so often, I read an article, or see a post somewhere with information that is either wrong, misleading, or entirely dependent on your goals.  Alissa and I constantly have to preface statements and new ideas with “For my goals,” because all of us want to achieve something different.  I’m looking to get to a certain level of muscularity, and plan to maintain 7 – 8% body fat.  In stark contrast, Alissa is also looking for a level of muscularity (significantly less than mine, which makes good sense), and is looking to maintain 18% body fat.  So, because of this, even though we workout together, and cook together, almost everything about our programs is different.  This is important, because a lot of the time, you will read “tips” or “guides,” they usually don’t define who the tips are for.  So, here’s a breakdown, and my thoughts, on an article I read called “10 Rules of Good Nutrition.”

Rule #1: Never Skip Breakfast.  We actually firmly believed in this idea until we discovered carbohydrate backloading.  In the plan, John Kiefer recommends either a late breakfast, or skipping it all together.  (Mostly relevant if you eat carbs for breakfast)  He’s not just throwing that out there for the sake of saying so, though. . .  Based on what your body is doing hormonally (Specifically in regard to Cortisol), your body is actually primed to burn body fat for fuel in the morning, and eating will reverse this.  The alternative:  Eat a breakfast with no carbs–  Carbs will reverse the fat burning state, protein and fats won’t;  Also, carbs will likely produce an insulin response, which will prime your body for fat storage all day.

New slogan: “The breakfast for fat storage!”

Rule #2:  Eat Every 3 to 4 Hours!  Yeah, we eat every two, and I fully support this.  Not only does it keep you full throughout the day, but it does keep your metabolism chugging along–  Just be careful.  If every 2 – 3 hours you’re having high GI carbs, you will be priming your body for fat storage all day, giving your body no choice but to eat muscle for fuel.  Choose low GI carbs, nuts, proteins, etc.

Rule #3: Always Eat a Carbohydrate with a Protein!  I agree with this–  I never recommend eating carbs alone.  If you group carbs with fats or proteins, it lessens the effects, if any, the meal will have on blood sugar, thus preventing an insulin response.  Here is a part I don’t agree with, though:  They point out that the RDA for woman under 140 lbs. is 50g of protein.  Our current macro nutrient RDAs are severely messed up, and are not optimal for healthy, fit bodies.  I recommend everyone eat at least one gram of protein per pound of lean body mass, as this is an accepted standard in bodybuilding.  (For the record, there are numerous studies that have been done regarding protein intake, and we plan on doing an entire post on the subject.  For now, I would point you to a very credible 2011 study that says .82g / lb. body weight)

Rule #4:  Double Your Fiber!  Do it!  Fiber is great for your digestive system, and because of how your body digests fiber, it doesn’t count toward your net carbs for the day.  Plus, fiber comes from great sources, like Almonds / Nuts, Vegetables, Whole Grains, etc.  For the record, the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance / Intake) is between 25g and 35g of fiber a day, and I highly recommend having at least 20g.

Rule #5:  Trim the Fat From Your Diet!  This, I don’t agree with.  Fat, as a macro nutrient, has a bad reputation for no reason.  A lot of people think, “A low fat diet means I won’t gain fat!”  Well, that’s 100% wrong.  Carbohydrates are the macro nutrient most responsible for fat storage;  And on top of that, low fat alternatives to typically have high fat foods often have an insane amount of added sugar.  A great example?  Look at low fat peanut butter.

What’s supposed to be a decent protein source that keeps you full and has a glycemic load of zero can now affect your blood sugar and make you hungrier. Great job!  (For those who don’t have the nutrition facts memorized, sugar free peanut butter has half of the calories, twice as many carbs, and half the protein.  The fat content is lower, though.

That stuff is terrible for you, and at the end of the day, the increase in sugar consumption will lead to fat gain over consumption of dietary fat.  Plus, because fat takes a while for your body to digest, you can effectively make something that’s High GI have less of an impact on blood sugar. . . On top of all of that, if your Carb Backloading, Carb Cycling, or doing Carb Nite, you’re converting your body’s energy source to dietary and body fat.

Just limit your trans fat and saturated fat intake–  Unsaturated fats are good, while saturated fat needs to be limited.  (As a side note, though, higher fat foods typically have more calories, so you do need to be careful with fat consumption.)

Rule #6:  Eat Your Vegetables!  Seriously.  Eat as many as you can.  Most cruciferous vegetables (Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kale, etc.) have great cortisol blocking properties, too.  (Cortisol, a stress hormone, can promote fat storage and prevent your body from oxidizing fat for fuel.)

Rule #7: Get Your Vitamins and Minerals from Food, not Pills!  No way.  This is something I can’t agree with at all.  I wish I still had the source, but I once read that only 10% of the world population gets all of their micro nutrients from food sources.  Here’s my stance:  A good multivitamin is a supplement;  A supplement is meant to supplement a healthy diet with the micro nutrients that may be lacking.  Of course you should try and eat as healthy as possible, consume as many micro nutrients through food as possible, but you should always take a good multi too.  (I do realize that the author of the article admits to using a multi, and even recommends one, but I can’t agree with the way the “Rule” is stated.)

Rule #8:  Drink 8 – 10 Glasses of Water a Day!  Yes.  Drink more, even.

Rule #9:  Consume Minimum Amounts of Sugar, Salt, Caffeine, and Alcohol!  I agree with all three of this, except for the Caffeine, and I’ll be honest, this is purely subjective.  Every month, another study comes out either for, or against coffee consumption;  At the end of the day, I love coffee, and you will have to make up your own mind about it.  Caffeine, as a stimulant, is also a great metabolism booster, and can be found in many other sources outside of coffee, like green tea, a popular “Weight loss” supplement.  As far as limiting Sugar and Alcohol, these are topics we’ve definitely discussed here before;  Salt is something else to watch, as high sodium intake with a sedentary lifestyle can lead to high blood pressure.  (It’s worth noting that a lot of different factors go into this, though.)

Rule #10:  Never go on a Fad Diet!  I 100% agree, and I agree with the reason listed:  Fad diets give you a finish line, when health and nutrition are, and should always remain lifelong lifestyle choices.  We even wrote a post about it.

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It was about a year and a half ago that I started hearing a lot of buzz about barefoot running.  A lot of people that adhere to a paleo lifestyle were praising them because of the supposed “natural” running they allowed for–  I just thought they made you look funny.

I bet these get all the ladies.

I tried them on, though, and realized there was something to them.  The first pair I tried on was the original style of “Fila Skeletoes.”  I was amazed by how comfortable they felt;  While that’s completely subjective, I found most people were put off by their appearance at first, but then loved them when they tried them on.  Now, the original style really only has one practical use as far as I’m concerned, and that’s for weight lifting.  Next, I tried on a pair of the running variety, and I definitely fell in love with these–  It also helped that I was in need of a new pair of running shoes.

Alissa finally admitted that she’s not embarrassed to be seen with me in these!

So, what are the benefits people always claim?  First, is that it’s more “natural.”  I put “natural” in quotes because at this point in human evolutionary history, I’m sure running in shoes is more natural.  The next reason I’ll hear is that they’re a better workout for you because the movement engages more muscles.  This has been addressed in numerous essays that try and either prove, or debunk it.  There is no real definitive explanation, but there is an argument for both sides:

One camp says that the barefoot running shoes provide a better workout because it engages more muscles throughout your lower body to keep you stable and running with less support and a “natural” gait.  The other side says that running shoes, specifically the non ultra lightweight running shoes provide a better workout (metabolically speaking), because of the added weight and the additional force needed to keep your pace up with a heavier shoe.  Either way, honestly, it didn’t matter to me.  I bought them for 2 reasons:  They look kind of wacky, and I’m often drawn to things of this nature;  And they’re really, really comfortable.

Okay, so what is it like to run in them?  When I first started reading about the barefoot running phenomenon, I heard a lot of people say it takes some getting used to.  In the essays that would describe the benefits and / or drawbacks of barefoot running shoes, they always mentioned a sort of break in period where your body adapts to running in a “natural” movement.  My first few times running with my Skeletoes was doing HIIT on a treadmill, and I didn’t notice much of a difference.  It took a few minutes to get used to the feeling of running in them, but in terms of having to adjust my gait or being additionally sore, I didn’t experience any of that.

Then came time to do sprints and extended period running outside.  This is where it made an insane difference, but again, not in actually running. . .  It was later that day, and the next day where I noticed why people mention the enhanced muscle engagement.  Normally after running, my legs will be decently sore–  The usual “DOMS”  (Delay Onset Muscle Soreness) that occurs the next day and keeps my calves tight, and sometimes makes my quads and hamstrings sore.  Not this time. . .  The tops of my feet hurt in a way I had never felt;  My ankles throbbed with every step I took.  My shins were sort, my calves were tight and my glutes wanted to give up.  On top of all of that, my quads and hamstrings were a bit sore. . .  But, while running, my feet were very comfortable.

So, they were right. . .  There is a bit of  a break in period, and eventually, my feet will revert to running in these without any unusual soreness.  In the end, I love my new running shoes, but they’re not for everyone.  Start off by trying them on at a shoe store, and if you really love them, I definitely recommend them–  You’re not limited to Fila Skeletoes, either.  There are a lot of options out there, the most popular being Vibram “Five Fingers.”

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Have you ever give much thought to what type of shoe you’re wearing while working out?  For weight lifting, you have a lot of different options for footwear.  Actually, you could wear almost any style of shoe, with one huge exception:  Running shoes.

Fantastic for running. . . Slightly dangerous for lifting.

Running shoes are built to give support while cushioning the impact of your stride, and this cushioning is horrible for weight lifting;  Also, running shoes typically contour to your foot, and thus aren’t flat–  Most of the time, this is to keep your feet from pronating, or under pronating.  This creates an unstable base for your lift, which could potentially be hazardous.  I experienced this first hand when doing “Good Mornings” in running shoes–  I kept shifting about while trying to keep steady.  (I immediately went out and bought what I currently wear for weight lifting.)  Just think about it–  Running shoes are meant to help while you run, not stand in place holding a lot of weight.  (We’ll get into running footwear in a separate post.)

So, if you shouldn’t wear running shoes for weight lifting, what do you wear?  Literally, almost anything else.  There is only one distinction:  If you’re doing Olympic style lifts, you will want an actual weight lifting shoe, as these have a moderate heel built in that forces your body into a more engaging starting position.  They run anywhere from $80 to $300.

If you’re not training for the Olympics, then most shoes fall into one of three categories:  Training, Flat, and Barefoot.  I use a training shoe now because I was in need of stability while squatting and doing good mornings.  A training shoe is typically all leather (or synthetic leather), which helps keep your foot steady as there’s no mesh in it that flexes.  There’s also a very solid, mostly flat sole with a slight heel which will help to keep your feet planted and stable during dead lifts, squats, and good mornings.

An excellent option for a training shoe.

And then there is the “flat shoe” option.  If stability is not an issue for you, or you’ve developed stability and proper form through the use of training shoes, you should optimally weight lift in a flat shoe.  The most famous weight lifting shoe in this category, of course, is the Chuck Taylor All Star.  You will see this shoe often in old photos of bodybuilders.  To get maximum engagement from your muscles, you should have a completely flat base that you’re lifting off of, and flat shoes offer just that as all the shoe is doing is keeping your foot safe from the ground.  Other examples of these shoes would be indoor soccer shoes, wrestling shoes, skate shoes, and many varieties of tennis court shoes.

And last, but not least, is the barefoot option.

I wish my gym would allow this.

Barefoot is the best way to lift, but most gyms won’t allow that.  For that reason, we have the new line of barefoot shoes that most manufacturers are now making.  Now that I’ve gained stability with my training shoes, I plan on switching to a pair of barefoot shoes.  There is one thing to make sure of, though. . .  When selecting a barefoot shoe, do not pick out the running variety.  A perfect example would be with Fila Skeletoes:  There is a normal option, and then there is the running variety, and the running variety has the same drawbacks as a normal running shoe.

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I love deadlifts.  It is no secret. . .  When I talk to people about lifting weights or bodybuilding, at some point, I will start talking about deadlifts.  There’s a reason why I love them–  It’s not just because it is my most impressive lift, though that certainly helps.  Before I give my thoughts, here are some quotes relating to Deadlifts:

“There is no easy way to do a deadlift – no way to cheat, which explains their lack or popularity in most gyms around the world.” – Mark Rippetoe

I really enjoy this quote, because it’s true.  I was squatting 365 lbs., but had to take most of it off because I found out that not all of my reps were parallel.  Now, I started them “ATG,” and I’m down to 245 lbs.  That’s a big difference when you’re not cheating, and luckily, I can’t cheat with my deads.

“Half the movements you see people doing in gyms these days are movements you’d never do in the “real world”. Deadlifting has a basic, straight forward, real world application… picking heavy things up off the ground!”

This is a fun one just because you’ll often hear the phrase, “Just pick up some heavy weights and put them down” in the bodybuilding world.

“Your back doesn’t hurt because of deadlifting. Your back hurts because you DO NOT deadlift.” – Mark Bell (Here’s the Article this is from)

Someone told me recently that, after my suggestion, they tried deadlifting but didn’t like it because it hurt their back.  I responded with this quote.

Anyway!  I have been struggling with my goal for a while now.  My goal is to accomplish a “four plate deadlift,” (The amount of plates, when referenced like this, speak only of 45 lb. Olympic plates on one side. . .  This is 8 plates total, or 405 lbs.) I don’t just want my one rep maximum to be four plates–  I’m looking for a working weight, where I can do 1 set of 5 repetitions.  I’ve been steadily working my way toward this goal, until I got to 375 lbs.  It was supremely difficult to complete 375 lbs., and when I moved up to 380, I could barely do two reps.  But last Monday, I hammered out 3 strong reps, and the fourth was one of the greatest physical struggles I’ve encountered.  I eventually locked it out, but it was so taxing.  Until you do this, you can’t explain how this feels. . .   This feeling of complete exhaustion with the euphoria of lifting two times your body weight off the ground multiple times.  It goes along with another quote regarding deadlifts:

“Our bodies are designed to work this way, and when you lock out a heavy deadlift, there is some kind of primal satisfaction you feel because of this.”

The ultimate struggle, and the ultimate satisfaction that comes with it.  On top of that, it’s an exercise that works almost your entire body in one movement;  It’s so effective, that most bodybuilders agree that all you need is 1 set of 5 reps for it to be most effective.  Anything more and you’re not lifting enough weight.  Above all, though, it’s the ultimate judge of how strong you are.  I’ve had people ask me how much I can bicep curl, and I laugh, because it’s a useless exercise practiced by vanity muscle warriors.

“[Everybody] dies, but not [everybody] really deadlifts.”

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When you are pushing yourself during cardio, do you ever find yourself hunching over on the machine?  Do you know what you are doing to your workout?

Here’s a different question:  Why do you burn so few calories while doing the stationary bike at the gym?  Give up?  It’s because cardiovascular activity requires your largest muscles in order to be effective, and the more muscles you engage, the more calories you will burn.  So with the stationary bike, the only muscles engaged are those in your lower body–  Typically just your quadriceps and hamstrings, with some minor involvement from other muscles.

So, the elliptical is more effective because it engages more muscles in your body–  Specifically, doing the elliptical right is more effective.

At this point, you might as well be on the stationary bike.

When you do the elliptical, or stairmaster correctly, you’re keeping your body upright, which engages your core to keep you this way.  Your lower body is obviously working, and not just your legs;  Your glutes are also targeted when you do the elliptical, which is another large muscle group.  Whatever you choose to do with your arms will engage them somehow.  If you hold on and keep them still, they’re working (slightly) to keep you steady; or, if you have them assist you, this engages your entire upper body.  As soon as you hunch over, however, you isolate your lower body and make the work easier. . .  And then you’re back to a low intensity workout that burns a significantly lower amount of calories.

It’s more effective to do a lower resistance on a cardio machine than it is to sacrifice your form, since the lower intensity will keep the maximum amount of muscles engaged to burn calories.

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Obviously, especially to those who know what “Vanity Muscles” are, this is a joke. . .  This is not an actual anatomy lesson, but rather, one of those warnings on how to not be “that guy.”

Have you ever seen someone in the gym training biceps, exclusively, for 45 minutes?  Have you talked to someone who says all they work for lower body is calves?  How about the guy who devotes 20 minutes to wrist curls and reverse wrist curls?  These are examples of people who only work their vanity muscles.  Vanity Muscles are comprised only of muscles that you can see while wearing a T-Shirt and Shorts:  Forearms, Biceps, and Calves.  Some people include Chest and Shoulders in the grouping, but your typical Vanity lifter won’t care about these muscle groups, and most people don’t include these muscles either.

So, why do people work only their vanity muscles?  For the very reason that they are vanity muscles. . .  It’s the mentality of, “Why work muscles that no one will see?”

Well, here’s why:  If you only work those muscles, eventually, you’re going to come to a place where you look out of proportion.

Hercules focused a lot on calves and forearms early in his career.

On top of that, your gains will come a lot slower compared to a normal weight lifter / body builder.  What most people don’t realize is that compound lifts do a lot for muscle growth all over your body–  Dead Lifts, Squats, and other compound lifts release a lot of testosterone, which is necessary for muscle growth.  If you spend all day doing Bicep Curls, you are robbing yourself of the opportunity to release some great, muscle building testosterone.  This is the source of the old bodybuilding adage, “If you want bigger biceps, dead lift [and / or squat] more.”

Besides. . .  Why would you spend a day working forearms when your Dead Lift will give you stronger forearms?  Or, why spend a day doing Bicep Curls when your Bent Over Rows / Lat Pull Down / Pull Ups will work your Biceps?

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Health by DeVinePhysiques
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