As I wrote in my review of Muscle Gaining Secrets, one of the biggest mistakes you can make as a hardgainer is to train like pro bodybuilders do. Example:

• Training 5-6x/week
• Doing body-part splits
• Using isolation exercises

Training like a pro bodybuilder is a recipe for failure. It’s not efficient for bulk nor size, your muscles never get a chance to recover and you’ll overtrain. So you’ll never gain weight unless you use steroids like many pro bodybuilders do.

But here comes the really funny part:

• The world’s best bodybuilders used different methods to get big.
• The articles in muscle magazines are usually ghost-written.
• Major muscle magazines own supplement companies.

Could muscle magazines publish ineffective routines on purpose? To you get frustrated so you feel the need to buy their supplements? I’ll let you decide.

How Pro Bodybuilders Really Get Big. Arnold Schwarzenegger won Mr Olympia 7x back when participants still had physiques you could strive for. And although he admitted using steroids, his achievements remain inspiring.

If you read Arnold’s Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding you’ll find high volume split routines with mostly isolation exercises. That book was my training bible for years until I realized its advice was flawed.

Arnold was a competitive powerlifter before getting into bodybuilding. His all time bests: 200kg Bench Press, 215kg Squat, 310kg Deadlift.

Looking at his stats, you understand why Arnold’s chest & back were so freaky big. Especially compared to his legs. Arnold could bench almost what he could Squat. And for the record: a 200kg Bench is really impressive.

Just so you see I’m not inventing this stuff, here’s a picture of Arnold deadlifting what looks like 700lbs back in the 60s (he won his first Mr Olympia in 1970).

Strength is The Key to Gaining Weight. Arnold is not an exception. Many top bodybuilders built their physique by training for strength. Then they used that strength when switching to bodybuilding.

• Franco Columbo. Arnold’s training partner. Could deadlift 750lbs, Squat 650lbs, Bench 520lbs, Olympic Press 325lbs.
• Reg Park. First guy in Europe to Bench 500lbs. Could also Squat 600lbs and Deadlift 700lbs. 3x Mr Universe.
• Johnnie O Jackson. Competitive bodybuilder. Stats: 500lbs Bench, 800lbs Squat and 800lbs Deadlift.

Muscle Gaining Secrets: Last Chance. Muscle Gaining Secrets is an ebook by ex-hardgainer Jason Ferrugia that gives you the exact steps to gain weight. It also uses strength training for weight gain.

I arranged a special deal with Jason. Order Muscle Gaining Secrets today and you’ll get these 4 bonuses on top of it for free:

• Secrets of Super Strength. Q&A with Jim Wendler – a 275lbs powerlifter with a 2375lbs total also known for his 5/3/1 program. He shares how to increase your Bench, Squat & Deadlift and how to improve technique.
• Advanced Mass Building Guide. How to keep your muscle gains going past the beginner’s level by cycling your training intensity and by using set extension techniques. Training program and sheets included.
• Armed & Dangerous. How to add 2 inches to your arms in 8 weeks. This is a 2 phase biceps & triceps training program with sheets included.
• Renegade Cardio. Which kind of cardio you should do to gain maximum muscle mass without gaining fat. You get different cardio approaches based on your body type, goals and training experience.

The total value of this deluxe package is +600$. You’d normally pay 107$. But if you order today you’ll only pay 77$ and save 30$ (almost 30%).

Click here to download Muscle Gaining Secrets now.

Muscle Gaining Secrets comes with an 8-week no-risk money back guarantee. If you don’t gain muscle mass after 8 weeks, contact Jason and he’ll send you a full refund. No questions asked.

Click here now to order Muscle Gaining Secrets today.

This special offer expires on Friday October 30th 2009.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

Worse: the lack of results makes you lose motivation to go the gym. Maybe they are right after all: you can’t gain weight because of your bad genetics and fast metabolism. That’s why you must keep training harder. A lot harder.

Right?

Wrong!

Top 3 Mistakes Hardgainers Make. You’ve been lied to. You don’t have a fast metabolism or bad genetics. And you don’t need to train harder. You need to train smarter. Stop making these mistakes:

• Eating Like a Pigeon. The reason you can eat anything without gaining weight is because you don’t eat a lot. I know you think you do, but you don’t. Otherwise you wouldn’t be skinny. Track calories for proof.
• Training Like a Pro Bodybuilder. Isolation exercises 6x per week don’t build muscle mass & bulk. And unless you use steroids, you’ll overtrain by going to the gym so many times per week.
• Wasting Money on Supplements. Most don’t do what they promise and they’re always useless without a solid diet & training program.

Here’s How to Gain Weight Fast. It doesn’t matter how skinny you are or how long you’ve been struggling with this. You can gain weight. You simply need to use the right methods. These are:

• Eat Like a Horse. If you’re a hardgainer you’ll only gain weight once you start eating at least 5000kcal/day – consistently. Milk, pasta, nuts, eggs and tuna should be your new friends.
• Train for Strength. Did you know Schwarzenegger could Bench 440lbs & Deadlift 660lbs? That’s how he built his physique: heavy and free weight compound exercises. Body part splits came much later.
• Take Rest Days. Muscles grow when you rest, not when you train them. If you go the gym 6x/week and train to failure all the time, your muscles will never get a chance to recover and grow.
• Be Consistent. You won’t gain weight if you eat 5000kcal today but only 2000kcal the rest of the week. You also won’t gain weight if you go the gym 1x/week and skip your 2 other workouts. Consistency is crucial.

Muscle magazines try to tell you supplements are key to gaining muscle mass. Truth is that each major muscle magazine owns a supplement company. Their routines are ineffective on purpose: to get you hooked on supplements.

Muscle Gaining Secrets. The only eBook that I know of that gives you the exact methods to gain weight naturally is Jason Ferrugia’s Muscle Gaining Secrets.

Jason is an ex-hardgainer who struggled with his skinny look for years. When he finally gained 100lbs drug-free muscle, he decided to do something about all the bad advice. He published his methods in an eBook: Muscle Gaining Secrets.

What are Jason’s Muscle Gaining Secrets? His methods are inline with what I’ve been stressing on this site: eat more, get stronger, no supplements. That’s why I joined his affiliate program and get a commission for each sale.

Here are some of the things you’ll learn inside Muscle Gaining Secrets:

• 7 critical factors your training program must address if you want to gain muscle mass naturally – without supplements or steroids.
• Mass building nutrition: must-eat carb & protein sources to gain weight and 10 nutrition rules you must follow to lose your skinny look forever.
• How to gain muscle mass without gaining fat: how to use carb cycling to build muscle while maintain or even decrease your body fat.
• Muscle building meal plans: example weight gain diets of up to 6000kcal per day, including weight gain diets for vegetarians.
• Top muscle building exercises: detailed descriptions & pictures of more than 100 exercises that will make you gain weight.

Muscle Gaining Secrets is a downloadable eBook that counts 147 pages. You get 7 free bonuses on top of it, including a composition tracker, a 60min audio course, lifetime private membership access and lifetime eBook updates.

Special Offer for StrongLifts.com Readers. I reached out to Jason and told him I wanted to review Muscle Gaining Secrets on this site. As always: I asked him if he could come up with some special offer.

Jason agreed. If you order Muscle Gaining Secrets before Friday October 30th 2009, you’ll get these 4 bonuses on top of it for free:

• Secrets of Super Strength. Q&A with Jim Wendler – a 275lbs powerlifter with a 2375lbs total also known for his 5/3/1 program. He shares how to increase your Bench, Squat & Deadlift and how to improve technique.
• Renegade Cardio. Which kind of cardio you should do to gain maximum muscle mass without gaining fat. You get different cardio approaches based on your body type, goals and training experience.
• Advanced Mass Building Guide. How to keep your muscle gains going past the beginner’s level by cycling your training intensity and by using set extension techniques. Training program and sheets included.
• Armed & Dangerous. How to add 2 inches to your arms in 8 weeks. This is a 2 phase biceps & triceps training program with sheets included.

The total value of this deluxe package is +600$. You’d normally pay 107$. But if you order today you’ll only pay 77$ and save 30$ (almost 30%).

Click here to download Muscle Gaining Secrets now.

Muscle Gaining Secrets comes with an 8-week no-risk money back guarantee. If you don’t gain muscle mass after 8 weeks, contact Jason and he’ll send you a full refund. No questions asked.

Click here now to order Muscle Gaining Secrets today.

This special deal is only valid for 3 days, until Friday October 30th 2009.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

I get a lot of questions about knee pain & Squats. Especially the injury section in the forum is full of knee queries. Common issues:

• You get knee pain during/after Squats.
• You’re afraid of doing Squats because you have knee pain.
• You’re recovering from an ACL injury or torn meniscus and you’re afraid to hurt yourself if you Squat.

The Squat will improve the health of your knees if you use correct technique and increase the weight slowly over time. But what if you’re already doing all of that and your knees keep hurting no matter what?

Wrong Ways to Treat Knee Injuries. There’s a lot of conflicting & wrong advice out there, even coming from professionals. Here are 3 popular but wrong ways to treat knee injuries you must avoid like the plague:

• Isolating VMO. You can prioritize the function of a muscle, but you can’t isolate it. Isolating your Vastus Medialis Obliquus is wasting your time.
• Leg Extension/Curls. Closed-chain exercises like the Squat are more natural & efficient for knee rehabilitation than open-chain exercises.
• Treating Symptoms. The cause of a knee injury is often another area of your body, like your ankles or hips. Not your knee itself.

Unfortunately there isn’t really information available on how to eliminate knee pain. Common advice is to rest, avoid what hurts, worst case pain killers. But these are all short-term fixes, not solutions to your problems.

How to Eliminate Knee Pain. There’s one guy who has written a definite guide on how to eliminate knee pain. Whether you’ve got nagging discomfort or are recovering from a knee injury. His name is Mike Robertson.

Mike is competitive powerlifter and a strength & conditioning coach. A few years ago, he tore his lateral meniscus during a ski accident. So he set out to recover fast post-surgery so he could get back into lifting.

But unfortunately things didn’t went smooth. Mike’s knee wasn’t healthy after surgery. He talked to a lot of doctors, but no-one seemed to be able to help. And he got a lot of conflicting advice.

So Mike did the only thing he could: do his own research to find a solution. He spent thousands of dollars on journals, magazines & books. Researched and filtered through all the medical jargon to recover fast

And he succeeded. Today Mike’s knee is 100% back to normal and he lifts pain free again. And because there wasn’t any advice on how to eliminate knee pain, he did something about it. He wrote a guide: Bulletproof Knees.

Bulletproof Knees. Mike Robertson’s Bulletproof Knees is a book counting 234 pages. It’s the only guide on the market that covers the topic of how to get rid of knee pain. Here are some of the things you’ll learn inside:

• Why your knees hurt: top 6 common causes of knee injuries
• Exercises you must do and NOT do to eliminate your knee pain forever
• 3 phase program to regain the knee strength you had pre-injury
• How to prevent ACL injuries and keep your knees healthy

You also get a free DVD on top of the manual. This DVD is a presentation by Mike Robertson in which he goes in depth into Bulletproof Knees.

Get Bullet Proof Knees Today. I’ve been recommending Mike Robertson’s other products Inside/Out and Magnificent Mobility during the past 2 years. The former covers shoulder pain, the latter back pain.

Bulletproof Knees covers the knees. It’s high quality like the 2 above products and is proven to deliver results. That’s why I have no problem recommending it to you on this site and earning something for each sale.

Click here to order Bulletproof Knees today.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

I didn’t really explain the content of the Operation Motivation package in my last post, so here’s some extra information.

How Do You Keep Yourself Motivated? During the past 10 years I’ve trained 45 weeks/year on average. I rarely miss a training, even if I’m tired or sick. I cook daily and eat healthy 90% of the time.

Many readers ask me: how can you still keep yourself motivated after all those years? Don’t you get bored of it? What keeps you rolling?

People usually think that I have tremendous willpower. It’s true that when I put my mind onto something, I don’t let go until I get it. But, like you, I often don’t feel like going to the gym. And I don’t like all the cooking.

I posted this in the forum a while back:

It’s not meant to be fun. It’s meant to be effective. When you start getting results than you’ll do all the boring & painful stuff. I didn’t enjoy training this morning with the heat that has been around since 2 weeks, but I’m doing it anyway because I don’t want to be a fatto. Get my point?

Your Self Image. I can’t imagine myself fat. That’s why I go to the gym whether I’m sick or tired. That’s also why I eat healthy 90% of the time. And that’s why I don’t have to think about all of this. I just do it.

But what if you don’t see yourself as someone healthy and in shape? What if you think of yourself as fat, skinny & undisciplined? How could you change this so you no longer have to force yourself to go to the gym and eat healthy?

You could be patient. Wait until you get results. Your clothes will feel different. You’ll look different in the mirror and on pictures. You’ll get positive feedback from people. And this would change your self-image and thus behavior.

But this would take long. Really long. There’s a much more efficient method you can use to change your self-image and put the goal setting on auto-pilot.

Inner Work. We all have an inner chatter going on. About who we are, about how things & people are, about anything. Studies show that 87% of what you worry about never happens. 6% you can’t do anything about it.

The only thing you can really control are your own thoughts. And since the way you think about things directly influences your actions, it makes sense to control your thoughts. Meaning: focus on what you want, not what you don’t want.

Operation Motivation. And this is what Tom Venuto’s Operation Motivation will teach you: how to reprogram your mind so you change your habits and take action consistently. Here are some things you’ll learn inside:

• How to end emotional eating and eat healthy all week long
• How to motivate yourself to get up early and hit the gym
• How to never skip workouts again and be consistent
• How to stay motivated so you don’t regain what you’ve lost
• How to finally get started on your diet & training program
• How to program your mind to automatically exercise your body

Operation Motivation is a 7-part package that includes eBooks and reports. One of these courses will teach you how to use visualizations.

I’ve been using visualizations for quite some time for business and social goals. That’s why I’m happy to see Tom releasing a product that explains you exactly how to use them to achieve your fitness goals.

I think, however, that Tom is crazy to give this package away for free since this stuff is so powerful. That’s right, Operation Motivation is free if you order Burn The Fat before Friday August 28th 2009 12AM EST.

Click here to download Operation Motivation with Burn The Fat.

This offer lasts until tomorrow. So take action today.

Click here to download Operation Motivation with Burn The Fat now.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

Although everybody’s case looks unique and they ask it differently, my answer to “how do I lose fat” is always the same. But before I tell you what that is, let me share the 3 biggest fat loss mistakes you can make.

Are You Making These 3 Fat Loss Mistakes? There are many mistakes you can make, like focusing on weight loss instead of fat loss or doing endless crunches to lose stomach fat. Here are the top 3 mistakes you must avoid:

• Low Calorie Diets. Starving yourself.
• Excess Cardio. Doing cardio only. No strength training.
• Supplements. Fat burners, weight loss pills and other drugs.

You’ll lack energy and lose muscle on a low calorie diet. Cardio without strength training causes muscle loss instead of fat loss. Supplements rarely do what they promise. You can lose fat naturally without wasting your money.

So How Do You Really Burn Fat? You’ll lose motivation over time if you don’t get results. No matter how much willpower you have. To lose fat successfully, there are only 3 things you really need to do:

• Eat Healthy. You need to eat the right foods, at the right time.
• Get Stronger. Prevents muscle loss, so you lose fat not muscle.
• Do Cardio. Speeds up fat loss and allows you to eat more.

Many eBooks try to tell you that the key to losing fat successfully is to do lots of cardio and cut down calories. They use that angle because that’s what people want to hear, and it sells supplements. But that doesn’t make it true.

Burn The Fat. There’s only one eBook that gives you the exact steps to lose fat naturally and permanently, and it’s called Burn The Fat by Tom Venuto.

This guide explains why 95% of all diets fail, debunks the biggest myths about fat loss and reveals the truth about supplements. In 340 pages, Burn The Fat covers the entire process of losing fat.

• How to set powerful & compelling goals for unstoppable motivation
• How much proteins, carbs & fats do you really need to eat for fat loss?
• Top 12 worst foods you should almost never eat, and 12 foods you should eat all the time to burn fat
• How to design your own effective and result producing meals & menus
• 10 fool-proof methods to break through any fat loss plateau
• How to use cardio & weight lifting for maximum fat loss.
• Why some people always seem to gain back the fat they’ve lost, and how to guarantee you keep it off permanently

Burn The Fat’s approach to fat loss is inline with what I’ve been preaching here since years: get stronger, eat healthy and do cardio. No need for supplements. Many readers told me they had great results using this approach.

That’s why I’ve been recommending Burn The Fat on StrongLifts.com since 2 years and get a commission for each sale.

Special Offer for You. Last month Tom Venuto ran a 3-day promotion in which you could get Operation Motivation for free when you ordered Burn The Fat. This eBook teaches you how to deal with motivation issues. But since I already had arranged the Eat Stop Eat deal we missed that opportunity.

I proposed Tom to do that same 3-day promotion for StrongLifts.com readers this month. He agreed. This means that you’ll get Operation Motivation for free if you order Burn The Fat before Friday August 28th 2009 12AM EST.

Click here to download Burn The Fat today.

Burn The Fat comes with an 8 week risk-free money back guarantee. If you’re not thrilled with your results after 8 weeks, contact Tom and he’ll send you a refund. No questions asked.

Did I say Burn The Fat only costs 39,95$? Enough said…

Click here to download Burn The Fat now.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

I’ve been following, off-and-on, 18-24hr fasts for the last 6 months or so. When I did it regularly, I lost weight and had much more energy (especially the day after breaking a fast).

Generally I start a fast after my midday meal, and break it with either a mid-morning snack or lunch the next day. Fasts include no calories at all, but plenty of water!

For some great, scientific info check out eatstopeat.com and the author’s blog at BradPilon.com. Brad’s basic premise is that, after 16 hours of zero calorie intake, your body’s production of growth hormone increases rapidly, helping in fat release hormones etc. I’m no scientist, Brad explains it much better.

The idea is to eat a diet of good, whole foods and let the intermittent fasts take care of one’s calorie deficit.

I’m gearing up to begin intermittent fasting again from this week to include 2 24-hr fasts a week. Based on past experience I expect to drop a good amount of weight, and also have plenty more energy for my lifting days. – Rokku.

Forum member Nburge asked how much weight Rokku lost on Eat Stop Eat and how long it took him. He also asked whether he would fast on workout days or the day before. Rokku’s reply:

I didn’t lose a great deal, but got down to 10lbs lighter than I am now (mind you, I’m quite fat). I think I probably lost 10lbs in a month or so. I never did any weights work while fasting, although I didn’t do any heavy weights really at the time. I think, going forward, I will mainly be doing cardio on days where my evening training is mid-fast.

Providing my eating was clean(ish), weight loss happened straight away. I tend to lose 4-5lbs overnight, and can retain 1-2lbs of this over the next few days after beginning to eat again.

Hope this makes sense! – Rokku.

I fast the day before I lift weights and break the fast the morning before I go to the gym (2hours before). I also start the fast 1x per week post lifting, about 8h later on the same day.

Another question by Nburge: do you drink anything else than water during the fast when doing Eat Stop Eat? And what about 72h fasts?

I drink diet coke when I need something more exciting And one can drink black tea/coffee w/o sugar or sweetener. Basically, if it has 0 (or minimal) calories, it’s free to have. On Eat Stop Eat’s “plan”, it’s zero cals to ensure you hit that growth-hormone increase created from fasting.

Check this video from Brad Pilon where he covers how growth hormone helps burn fat:

Click here to view the embedded video.

(Note, you can get an increase in GH from intense exercise, too, obviously)

It’s great to see IF being discussed here on SL

Regarding you fasting for ~72, why not two 24 hour fasts, with whatever healthy (or semi-healthy) food you can get otherwise? I think you’d get limited benefits after 36 hrs or so… – Rokku.

I drink water with or without apple cider vinegar during a fast. For weight loss, weight control or overall health, Brad Pilon recommends 1 or 2 fasts of 24h per week combined with strength training. No 72h fasts.

Last post by Rokku about Eat Stop Eat:

The trick when breaking one’s fast is to eat like you never fasted in the first place (ie, don’t eat pizza just because you think you ‘earned’ it — something it took a while for me to learn!)

Pilon’s approach is to do what’s right for you; his aim is to break the obsessiveness around nutrition. Personally, I try and space my fasts out evenly during the week, but whatever feels right – sometimes I just decide to start fasting

Special Offer for StrongLifts.com Readers. I arranged a special offer with Brad Pilon for you. Order Eat Stop Eat today and you’ll get 2 free eBooks on top of it. Here’s what you’ll get if you order today:

• Eat Stop Eat.The 90 pages eBook in which Brad debunks the myths on fasting, explains the benefits and will teach you exactly how to fast.
• How Much Protein. Debunks protein myths and teaches you how much protein you really need to build muscle. 121 pages eBook.
• 10 Day Diet Solution. How to get rid of bad eating habits – like overeating – in less than 2 weeks. This eBook counts 25 pages.

You’d normally pay 109,85$ for this package. But if you order today you’ll only pay 57$ and save 52,85$ (almost 50%).

• Click here to get the special Eat Stop Eat package today.

Eat Stop Eat comes with an 8-week risk free money-back guarantee. If you don’t like it, contact Brad and you’ll get your full money back. I’m confident, however, that you’ll like the information in Eat Stop Eat.

You can also get Eat Stop Eat only or the Eat Stop Eat Advanced package which contains additional audio material. Both are available from Brad Pilon’s site, click here now for more info.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

I first read about fasting in Steve Justa’s book Rock Iron Steel. He recommends fasting once a week for 20-24 hours. This would make you stronger and clean your body by getting all the toxins out of it.

A few years later I tried Ori Hofmekler’s Warrior Diet. On this diet you alternate daily 20h fasts with 4 hour feedings. I quit this diet after a few days because getting all your calories within a 4 hour time frame didn’t suit my lifestyle.

I didn’t give fasting much consideration after this. Until a few weeks ago while preparing the post How Many Meals Should You Eat Daily. Researching how meal frequency affects your metabolism got me interested in fasting again.

Studies show that eating every 3 hours doesn’t increase your metabolism. Less frequent meals or fasting doesn’t decrease your metabolism neither. Fasting can actually boost your metabolism during the first 36 hours.

But that wasn’t why I wanted to give fasting another try.

Your Relation with Food. For years I ate healthy from Monday to Saturday. On Sunday I ate mostly junk foods. This is now called the Cheat Your Way Thin diet: eating junk food this way accelerates fat loss and keeps you motivated.

It kept me fit. But after 10 years of lifting and eating healthy, I came to a point where I preferred to live without junk food. I wasn’t enjoying it anymore. And I was getting tired of the Sunday’s bloating & laziness.

I knew that the 2 reasons for the junk food consumption on Sunday were my laziness to cook, but also a need for variety. It seemed I needed a break from cooking rituals and whole foods once a week.

I was solving this with the Sunday’s junk food. And while it worked, it bothered me. Because it seemed this was nothing more than a habit. A bad habit. One I wasn’t enjoying and which seemed tough to break.

Fasting. This is what eventually got me to fasting. Too lazy to cook on Sunday? I would fast from now on instead of eating junk food. Fasting also teaches you to control your hunger & cravings. Sounded perfect.

I started looking for books on fasting. I discovered there weren’t a lot of useful ones. Most of them saw fasting only as a detox tool — advising fasting for up to 10 days — and didn’t consider the perspective of weight lifters.

There were only 2 approaches that could work: Martin Berkhan’s Leangains and Brad Pilon’s Eat Stop Eat. I was tempted by Leangains, but since it’s similar to the Warrior Diet (16/8h fast/feed vs. 20/4h), I wasn’t sure I would like it.

More important: Martin Berkhan hasn’t released a system on Leangains yet. So unless you apply to his coaching program, you’ll have to read his blog & search forum posts to understand how it works.

Eat Stop Eat. A reader recommendation eventually made me go for Brad Pilon’s Eat Stop Eat. And since I found the information inside it so helpful I decided to recommend it on StrongLifts.com. So I joined Brad’s affiliate program.

Eat Stop Eat is a downloadable eBook. It counts 90 pages and has the most up to date research about fasting, 46 references to be exact. Brad debunks myths on fasting, gives you all the benefits and explains exactly how to fast.

Eat Stop Eat is easy to apply. The only thing you need to do is fast 1 or 2x a week for 24 hours. You choose which days fit you best. Here are some of the benefits you can expect from Eat Stop Eat:

• Lose Fat/Weight. Fasting 2x/week for 24h drops your calorie intake by 25%. It also boosts your fat burning hormones.
• Build Muscle. Fasting causes no muscle breakdown and doesn’t slow down your metabolism. Brad debunks both myths in Eat Stop Eat.
• Break Food Addiction. Hunger & cravings are often more mental than physical. Fasting teaches you to control both.
• Save Money. Fasting 2x a week means 8 days per month less food. My monthly grocery bill dropped by about 20%.
• Increase Productivity. My fasting days are the most productive ones: no cooking, no eating, no need to worry about food, …
• Increase Energy Levels. You won’t feel tired or lethargic or weak at the gym. My trainings the day after fasting are often the best ones.

My Experience with Eat Stop Eat. I’ve been fasting 2x per week since almost 2 months. Sunday 8pm until Monday 8pm & Tuesday 8pm until Wednesday 8pm. I lift weights Tu/Th/Su, so 2x the day after fasting.

I haven’t experienced any strength loss. I actually feel stronger the day after fasting. I asked Brad if he had an explanation for this. His reply:

The fact that you no longer worry about nutrition, or put as much… dependency … into your nutrition, would let you concentrate on what really matters…

I’ve only lost about 1lbs/0,5kg. But that’s because I eat more carbs to meet my caloric needs. Body fat hasn’t increased although carb intake is higher. Grocery bill has dropped by 20%. Sunday’s junk fests are history.

The biggest benefit for me is increased productivity. I get more work done on the days I fast. Main reason is that those days are longer: no cooking and no eating saves me 3h/day. And I don’t need to worry about food.

Eat Stop Eat & StrongLifts 5×5. If you’re doing StrongLifts 5×5, here’s how your week could look like this when you do Eat Stop Eat:

• Monday: StrongLifts 5×5 + 8 nutrition rules
• Tuesday: rest + 8 nutrition rules
• Wednesday: StrongLifts 5×5 + 8 nutrition rules
• Thursday: rest + fast
• Friday: StrongLifts 5×5 + 8 nutrition rules
• Saturday: rest + 8 nutrition rules
• Sunday: rest + fast

Special Offer for StrongLifts.com Readers. I reached out to Brad and told him I found the information in Eat Stop Eat useful so I wanted to recommend it on StrongLifts.com. I asked him if he could come up with some special deal.

Brad agreed. As a StrongLifts.com reader, here’s what you’ll get:

• Eat Stop Eat. The 90 pages eBook in which Brad debunks the myths on fasting, explains the benefits and will teach you exactly how to fast.
  
• How Much Protein.Debunks protein myths and teaches you how much protein you really need to build muscle. 121 pages eBook.
• 10 Day Diet Solution. How to get rid of bad eating habits – like overeating – in less than 2 weeks. This eBook counts 25 pages.

You’d normally pay 109,85$ for this package. But if you order today you’ll only pay 57$ and save 52,85$ (almost 50%).

Click here to get the special Eat Stop Eat package today.

Eat Stop Eat comes with an 8-week risk free money-back guarantee. If you don’t like it, contact Brad and you’ll get your full money back. I’m confident, however, that you’ll like the information in Eat Stop Eat.

You can also get Eat Stop Eat only or the Eat Stop Eat Advanced package which contains additional audio material. Both are available from Brad Pilon’s site, click here now for more info.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

Magnificent Mobility is one of the products on my list of recommended strength training & weight lifting books. Several readers asked me to review the Magnificent Mobility DVD. Here’s the full review.

What Is Magnificent Mobility? Magnificent Mobility is a 50mins DVD containing 36 exercises that will improve your flexibility and activate dormant muscles.

By doing the exercises on the Magnificent Mobility DVD you’ll also improve your posture and prevent or even fix injuries.

• 36 Exercises. Dynamic stretches that improve your flexibility by moving your body through space. Activation drills to activate muscles that often aren’t firing when needed, like your glutes. And 3 static stretches you can do post workout. Most exercises are for your hips & back, but you get some for your upper-back, shoulders & neck too.
• Written & Audio Cues. How to perform the exercises, what you must pay attention to to get the most out of them, what you should avoid, diagrams of muscles worked for each exercise, etc. They explain and show you what to do, while you get written cues on your screen.
• Demonstrations For Each Exercise. Cressey & Robertson demonstrate how to perform each exercise. You get multiple angles. Each exercise is 1 chapter on the DVD for easy navigation.

Eric Cressey & Mike Robertson. Authors of the Magnificent Mobility DVD are Eric Cressey, MS, CSCS and Mike Robertson, MS, CSCS, USAW. Both are powerlifters and strength & conditioning coaches.

Cressey & Robertson are called the mobility guys because they’re specialized in preventing and rehabilitating injuries by teaching you to move efficiently. Their Magnificent Mobility DVD contains the exercises they use with their athletes.

Magnificent Mobility Introduction. The first chapter of the Magnificent Mobility DVD is an introduction by Eric Cressey & Mike Robertson on stretching. Some things you’ll learn:

• Why static stretching pre-workout isn’t a good idea
• What the goal of your warm-up should be
• What dynamic stretching is and what are its benefits

Magnificent Mobility Exercises. The DVD is split into easy, medium and hard exercises so you can start whatever your flexibility. Each exercise is 1 chapter on the DVD for easy navigation. Full list of exercises:

• Easy Exercises. Cat/camels, yoga twist, side twist, bent knee twist, bird dogs, side-lying trunk twist, calf stretch, fire hydrants, supine bridges.
• Medium Exercises. Single-leg supine bridges, anterior-posterior leg swings, side-to-side leg swings, supine scorpions, prone scorpions, hip corrections, windmills, high knee walks, pull-back butt kicks, mini-band side steps, cradle walks, scap push-ups, overhead dislocations.
• Hard Exercises. Toy soldiers, single leg RDL, reverse warrior lunge with twist, walking spiderman, alternating lateral lunge, squat to stand, crossover overhead reverse lunge, running but kicks, high knee skips, deep wideout drops, supine leg whips.
• Static Stretches. Warrior lunge hip flexor stretch, prone ITB/TFL stretch, double neck stretches. Do these post workout.

You can do these exercises as warm-up and/or on non-training days to speed up recovery. Try all exercises the 1st time, then pick the ones you like the most. Doing all the medium exercises takes about 10mins.

Is Magnificent Mobility for You? Magnificent Mobility DVD contains exercises for your hips, spine, calves, upper-back, shoulders & neck. Most are for your hips & back. I recommend Magnificent Mobility if you have back problems.

• You Can’t Squat or Deadlift Correctly. Tight glutes can make your lower back round on Squats & Deadlifts. Exercises like cradle walks can help you improve flexibility in your glutes so your back stops rounding.
• You Have Back Pain. Dormant glutes & tight hip muscles will make your lower back compensate. Magnificent Mobility has dynamic stretches for your hips and glute activation exercises.
• You Have Nagging Injuries. Knee pain, hip pain, groin pain, back pain, etc. You’d be amazed how many of your nagging injuries go away by improving mobility and activating muscles that have become dormant due to sedentary lifestyle or bad posture.

The Magnificent Mobility DVD has exercises for your upper-body (like scap push-ups and dislocations), but it’s mainly for the lower body. If you have shoulder or neck problems, better is to get the Inside/out DVD.

What I Like About Magnificent Mobility. I used to have back pain when lifting and standing for long time. Nothing helped, so I bought Magnificent Mobility. I did the exercises 3-4x/week and got rid of the back pain.

Years later, I still do the exercises as a preventive measure and use them with people I train. Results are always the same: they get rid of their nagging back pain in a matter of weeks by improving hip mobility and glute activation.

What I Don’t Like About Magnificent Mobility. Someone with anterior pelvic tilt has different needs than someone with posterior pelvic tilt. You don’t get any info about which exercises you should do based on specific problems.

Cressey & Robertson give, however, good after sale support. And you still have the diagrams for each exercise showing you which muscles are worked if you want to make your own routine.

Magnificent Mobility 30 Day Money Back Guarantee. The Magnificent Mobility DVD comes with a 30 day full money back guarantee. Which means you can try the exercises on the DVD for 30 days risk free.

If after 30 days your flexibility hasn’t improved and pains haven’t decreased, send back your copy of the Magnificent Mobility DVD and you’ll get your full money back from Eric Cressey & Mike Robertson.

Click here to order Magnificent Mobility DVD now 30 day risk free money back guarantee

Magnificent Mobility E-Manual. You can also get an E-Manual (eBook) of the Magnificent Mobility DVD. This E-Manual is a transcript of the DVD with pictures of each exercise & technique explained.

There’s no new content in the E-Manual. The point is to print it & take it with you to the gym so you know which exercises you need to do & how. The E-Manual is sold as a bonus on top of DVD, you can’t get it separately.

Monster Mobility Pack. This pack includes Magnificent Mobility DVD + E-Manual + Inside/Out DVD + Inside/Out Print Manual. Magnificent Mobility is for the lower back & hips, Inside/out is for the shoulders, neck & upper-back.

Total price of these products is close to $150 when you buy them separately. When you get the Monster Mobility Pack you save almost $20.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

About lifestyle matters: a thing I really appreciate about your blog is that it is not just a great source of information about health, nutrition and strength training, but also about life and motivation.

The “crabs” and “expectations” posts are helping me in this phase with annoying people and boss that demands extras.

Have you some suggestions on good reads about alternative sources of income and self employment (I started reading the 4-hour workweek)?

Recommended Reading. Here are some of the books that I read, and that I recommend you to read too if you want to become self-employed.

• Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. This book gave a name to what I was experiencing: “rat race”. I don’t agree with some of the how’s, but the comparison of self-employment vs. employment is good.
• Law of Success by Napoleon Hill. ““Nothing can bring you success but yourself”. This book builds the right mindset: confidence, leadership, concentration, co-operation, persistence, etc. Hill’s promise: once you’ve made the 15 lessons your own, you’ll be ready to achieve your goals. I wouldn’t be doing this today without this book.
• Acres of Diamonds by Russell Conwell. Debunks myths people have on opportunities: that you need money, luck, skills or whatever to succeed. Conwell’s points: there are still plenty of opportunities, you can find them right where you are, and it’s easier today than yesterday. You can download this one for free at Project Gutenberg.
• Awareness by Anthony De Mello. People often think that money is key to happiness. Nothing is worse than doing a job you hate for years just because of the paycheck. Awareness will open your eyes on life.

Quick Tips. Let people/boss continue to annoy you, it will motivate you to find something else. Choose something that you LIKE to do, not because you think there’s less competition or because it could make more money.

Read everything you come across. Work on your project daily, even if it’s only 30mins. Build experience. Analyze & track everything. Help people out. Persist. Overcome failure. Persist. Stay confident & focused. Persist.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

One of my biggest influences when it comes to strength training is Eric Cressey. Years ago, his articles helped me fix my back & shoulder injuries by pointing me out to the importance of posture, mobility & balanced training programs.

April this year I heard Cressey had a book coming up: Maximum Strength. I was familiar with his other products like Magnificent Mobility DVD, so I pre-ordered Maximum Strength without hesitation. Here’s the review.

Who’s Eric Cressey? Eric Cressey, MS, CSCS is a strength coach and owner of Cressey Performance in Boston, MA. He’s also a competitive powerlifter: 400lbs Bench Press, 500lbs Squat and 650lbs Deadlift in the 180lbs category.

Cressey works with athletes of all kind, but mostly baseball athletes. They call him the “shoulder guy” or the “mobility guy” because he can not only get you stronger, he can also make you lift pain- and injury-free again.

Maximum Strength. Tagline reads “Get your strongest body in 16 weeks with the ultimate weight-training program”. Maximum Strength counts 12 chapters, 190 photos & 227 pages. Table of contents:

• Foreword by Dr. John Berardi (from Precision Nutrition)
• Introduction
• 1. Why Stronger is Better
• 2. Building Strength
• 3. Maximum Strength Program Overview
• 4. What to Expect
• 5. Maximum Strength Warm-ups
• 6. Phase 1: Foundation
• 7. Phase 2: Build
• 8. Phase 3: Growth
• 9. Phase 4: Peak
• 10. Nutrition for Maximum Strength
• 11. The Muscle Between Your Ears
• 12. Maximum Strength for Life

Introduction. Maximum Strength starts with Eric Cressey’s background. How he got into weight lifting doing bodybuilding routines before switching to strength training, and the changes in physique & mindset which occurred.

His point: always train for strength instead of size, even if size is your goal. Get stronger to build muscle, lose fat and live healthier. If you’re a regular reader of StrongLifts.com, this will sound familiar.

1. Why Stronger Is Better. In the 1st chapter Eric Cressey compares strength training with bodybuilding. You get 6 reasons to train for strength instead of for size, even if size is your goal.

• Why strength training is more time-efficient
• Why strength training is more useful in the real world
• Why strength training is more motivating
• Why strength training is a faster way to build muscle
• Why strength training is a better way to build self-confidence

2. Building Strength. The 2nd chapter further compares training for strength vs training for size. You get a lot of theory, but Cressey manages to explain things in layman’s terms. Some things you’ll learn inside chapter 2:

• How does strength training differ from bodybuilding in terms of training?
• The dense vs. pump look: how does your training affect your physique?
• What makes muscle grow? What makes muscle strong?
• The different methods you can use to build strength

Maximum Strength: phase I program overview

3. Maximum Strength Program Overview. Maximum Strength starts with a strength test on the Box Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift, Chin-up and Broad Jump. 16 weeks later you’ll end the program by doing the same test & compare.

• 4 Day Routine. Monday & Friday lower-body, Wednesday & Saturday upper-body. Each day starts with soft tissue work & mobility exercises. The workload varies from week to week: high, medium, very high, low.
• Cardio. HIIT, slow-and-steady or light-intensity exercises. Cressey explains which one you should do based on your bodytype and how.
• 4 phases. Each phase lasts 4 weeks. Phase 1 accustoms you to heavy weights. Phase 2 includes cluster training. Phase 3 increases muscle size. And phase 4 has you lift loads above 90% 1RM for single-rep sets.

Chapter 3 ends with information on what equipment you need to do Maximum Strength: Squat Rack, barbells, dumbbells, pull-up bar, bench, foam roller, …

4. What to Expect. Chapter 4 answers how much stronger Maximum Strength will get you in 16 weeks. Cressey gives you results of his past clients. This is a strength training program, so the results aren’t surprising:

• Increased Strength. Chris Paul, 31, increased his Deadlift from 385lbs to 435lbs, Box Squat 315lbs to 395lbs & Bench Press 265lbs to 295lbs.
• Increase Muscle Mass. Majority of people doing Maximum Strength gain about 7lbs muscle. Not body-weight, muscle.
• Lowered Body Fat. Ryan Gleason, 24, dropped from 244lbs to 237lbs. Body fat went from 23% to 19% while he increased his strength.
• Improved Posture & Mobility. This is thanks to the soft tissue work, mobility exercises and exercise choice. Expect old injuries to disappear.

Maximum Strength: Soft Tissue Work

5. Maximum Strength Warm-ups. Each Maximum Strength session starts with a 10-15min warm-up which consists of soft tissue work and mobility exercises. Chapter 5 starts with the benefits of both.

• Soft Tissue Work. How to do soft tissue work for 10 different muscles using the foam roller/tennis ball. Pictures & instructions included.
• +20 Mobility Exercises. Static stretches, glute activation, hip mobility, ankle mobility, shoulder-blades, … Always with pictures and technique.
• 2 Warm-up Routines. Cressey put the exercises together for you into 2 routines. Alternate between both each session.

Maximum Strength: Mobility Exercises

6-9. The 4 Phases. Chapter 6-9 of Maximum Strength counts 100 pages. Every chapter consists of training schedule and cardio recommendations for each of the 4 phases. Technique is explained using text & pictures for 84 exercises.

• Squat. Box Squat, Front Squat, Anderson Front Squat, …
• Bench Press. Close Grip Bench Press, Floor Press, Pin Press, …
• Deadlift. Rack Pulls, Snatch Grip Deadlifts, Suitcase Deadlifts, …
• Rows. 1-arm Db Row, Chest Supported Row, Inverted Rows, …
• Abs. Pallof Press, Bar Rollouts, Side Bridges, Reverse Crunches, …
• Biceps. Zottman Curls, Db Hammer Curls (Get the book to know why).
• Single Leg Work. Bulgarian Squats, Walking Db Lunges, 1-leg Squats, …
• and much, much more

Maximum Strength: Sumo Deadlift & Barbell Reverse Lunge with Front-Squat Grip

10. Nutrition for Maximum Strength. Chapter 10 is about nutrition. Cressey recommends you to follow the guidelines from Precision Nutrition when doing the Maximum Strength program.

• 10 Eating Habits. These come straight form John Berardi’s Precision Nutrition program. Eat every 3 hours, eat protein with each meal, etc
• Example Meal Plans. One meal plan in case you train in the morning, another if you train in the evening.
• Supplements. 4 supplements you can consider with Maximum Strength, and 5 you should absolutely avoid.

11. The Muscle Between Your Ears. Eric Cressey holds several state, national and world records in power lifting. Chapter 11 of Maximum Strength shares his views on building the right mindset for weight lifting.

• 5 tips to get in The Zone
• What to think about during a lift
• Your training environment: training partners, gym atmosphere, …
• How to deal with setbacks: lack of motivation, fatigue, injuries, …

12. Maximum Strength for Life. Maximum Strength takes 16 weeks. In the last chapter Eric Cressey gives you 10 tips you can apply after you’ve finished his program. Some of these tips include:

• Why you should always set quantifiable goals
• Why you should pull more than you push
• Why you should do single-leg work

What I Liked About Maximum Strength. Maximum Strength is one of the best books I’ve read so far in 2008. I picked up several things to apply to my own training, and those of the ones I train. What I liked most:

• Exercise Technique. Maximum Strength teaches you correct technique for about 100 exercises. A lot of these are not in Starting Strength.
• Soft Tissue Work. Maximum Strength is the first book I know of that explains how to use foam rollers/tennis balls for soft tissue work.
• +20 Mobility Exercises. Half come straight out of Magnificent Mobility & Inside/out DVDs. Some exercises like the Split-stance Broomstick Pec Mobilization were new to me, but already favorites.
• The Routine. Variety, focus on injury prevention and great choice of exercises: Anderson Front Squats, single leg work, external rotations, …

What I Didn’t Like About Maximum Strength. There should have been a test to see if you’re ready for this routine. Maximum Strength isn’t for beginners. If you can’t Squat 1.5x your body-weight for 1 rep, build some base strength first.

However as a beginner you could start with the soft tissue work & mobility exercises. Especially if you have nagging pains or lack flexibility. The nutrition & mindset chapters also provide good information you could use as a beginner.

Try Maximum Strength Risk-Free for 30 Days. Maximum Strength comes with a 30 day money back guarantee. If after 30 days you feel you haven’t learned anything reading the book, return it and you get every cent back.

Click here to get Maximum Strength from Amazon.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.