Hi Jason,
I bought your “get jacked” guide maybe one or two years ago – and I can honestly say that I have not added one single gram of muscle. The reason? Probably because I did not apply one thing I read, instead I spend countless of hours reading all conflicting ideas at t-nation, and doing very little training and if I ever did – it would be something written by Christian T, like OVT or some specialization program for arms/delts etc. probably not a got thing if you are 34 years old, 178 cm, 75 kg with 15% body fat. However I came to think about your book the other day and now I feel that this is probably what I need, real advice from someone not on steroids and not genetically gifted.
JF: This is a mistake that too many people make. It’s called paralysis by analysis. Don’t search for the “perfect program” in hopes of a miracle. I have written a program out that will deliver exactly what you desire and will help you achieve your goals in rapid time. But if you never do the program and sit around and question everything you do and… …continue reading.
Since it’s the winter and the perfect time for bulking up I thought I would share a hilarious poem from my good friend, Dave Tate. While it is definitely a little wacked out and humorous it also stresses the importance of eating big to get big. In a perfect world, you could consume four to six thousand calories per day of egg whites, oatmeal, chicken, fruit and vegetables. But let’s face it, that’s impossible. No one can do that. If you really want to jack up your calories and pack on a ton of weight, you’re gonna have to hit the junk food once in a while. It’s the only way. If you try to stay lean all year you can still get bigger, it will just take way longer and you will never gain a ton of size. If your goal is to weigh 250 and right now you weigh 175, you’re gonna have to put away some serious amounts of pizza and ice cream and be prepared to gain some bodyfat. If you eat big and train heavy you will grow. If not, you won’t. It’s really that simple.
With that being said, here is Dave’s poem… …continue reading.
Last night the New York Giants suffered a season ending, heartbreaking loss to end their 2006 season.
Without getting into detail about the season that was, it’s probably safe to say that most of the Giants are happy to see this season go. Not that they wanted to lose, but it has been a bit of a mess, to say the least.
Tiki Barber was quoted as saying something to the effect that they have come to expect bad things to happen and when they do they are instantly deflated.
One guy, however was not, and is a shining example for athletes all over the world. That guy is Jeremey Shockey.
No matter how bad things got or how severely he was hurt, Shockey came to play his heart out every week. Last night was a prime example of what kind of attitude an athlete must possess to be a champion. Shockey was questionable for the game due to an ankle injury that has plagued him all season, yet he refused to miss it.
In obvious pain and unable to get up without a Herculean effort, Shockey played his heart out. On one particular play he had his helmet… …continue reading.
Since I constantly publicize my obsessive love for music, I often get emails from people asking for recommendations of some good stuff to train to.
Music is one of the most important components of a good workout, so in no particular order here are a few of my favorites that are always in high rotation at the gym.
We’ll stick with rock and metal today and focus on hip hop later in the week.
- Wake Up Call- The Prodigy
- Disposable Teens- Marily Manson
- Millionaires- Queens of the Stone Age
- Bullet with Butterfly Wings- Smashing Pumpkins
- The Fight Song- Marilyn Manson
- Zero- Smashing Pumpkins
- Personal Jesus- Marilyn Manson
- Irresponsible Hate Anthem- Marilyn Manson
- BYOB- System of a Down
- Toxicity- System of a Down
- Rise Above- Chuck D. & Henry Rollins
- Raining Blood- Slayer
- South of Heaven- Slayer
- Just Another Victim- Helmet & House of Pain
- NIB- Black Sabbath
- Balls to the Wall- Accept
- Caught in a Mosh- Anthrax
- Leash- Pearl Jam
- Last Exit- Pearl Jam
- Lukin- Pearl Jam
- Brain of J- Pearl Jam
- The Mob Rules- Black Sabbath
- I Disappear- Metallica
- Little Horn- Marilyn Manson
- Go Motherfucker, Go- Nashville Pussy
- Beat Me Senseless- Nashville Pussy
- Crash Course in Brain
It’s come to my attention lately that tons of people are obsessed with some movie called “The Secret.” All of these people are also living their lives by some supposed law of attraction or something like that. I think the two go hand in hand, but I could be mistaken. As far as I have been told, one of the things you do, when you follow these “life altering principles” is to think of what you want in life.
Ok, visualization, I have no problem with that. Sounds good.
Not only do you think about it, but you “ask” for it. That’s where I got a little confused. Who you ask, I’m not really sure. It seems quite popular though so I gave it a shot. I called Hugh Hefner and asked him if I could move into the mansion. He hasn’t called back yet. It’s only been three months, so I haven’t given up hope. I also called Puffy (P. Diddy to the rest of you) and asked if he would put me on his next single and help me improve my dancing skills a little. He threatened to hang me upside down off the roof of some building,… …continue reading.
During a normal week of training, coaching and consulting I visit quite a few different training facilities other than just my own. Of course, many of these visits provide me with the opportunity to witness some seriously disturbing images. Yesterday I was in a public gym in New York City and witnessed the following:
A man in his early thirties doing dumbell presses with FIFTEEN POUND DUMBBELLS!!! And not only that but he was struggling. Now I am the last guy to make fun of someone for being weak or being a beginner or what not, but FIFTEENS at thirty years old?!!? I mean come on! How can you even walk the streets as a man? I would be terrified everywhere I went if I knew that I was that weak. I’ve never trained a single female that didn’t work up to at least thirty fives. The sad part is I will see that guy again in a few months and at the most he will be doing twentys.
Bu then again, I doubt it.
Worse than that was that this guys trainer, who after careful assesment, decided that just what a guy this weak needs is six sets… …continue reading.
Today’s post is a follow up on my post from last week about the laws of attraction and the Secret and all that hocus pocus. This post originally appeared on OddTodd.com and was brought to my attention by a very good friend of mine who happens to be good friends with Odd Todd. I thought it was hilarious and had to post it here. Check it out…
Messing with “The Secret”
So someone sent me a video called ‘The Secret’ recently and told me to watch it. So I did. It was kind of interesting kind of sort of.
It’s a thoroughly cheesed out video that basically said that there’s this “big secret” out there. A super secret secret to success that successful people know. Now on DVD! The general idea is linking the power of positive thinking to actual science. Like if you think that you want a new job and focus on that goal or whatever– the laws of attraction will actually manipulate the matter of the universe to have things to help you get to your goal– gravitate toward you. And in effect alter future reality– not spiritually but scientifically by having the universal… …continue reading.
Originally written in 2005 for Elite Fitness Systems
This week I have the pleasure of introducing you to the newest member or our writing staff, CJ Murphy. Raised in Boston’s roughest housing projects, Murph has gone on to make quite a name for him in the strength and conditioning industry and was recently named one of the top 25 trainers in the US by Men’s Health magazine. An avid strongman competitor and powerlifter, Murph has years of experience in the game and knows what it takes to get bigger, stronger and faster. Although he has the unique ability to speak in a language that everyone can understand and can get his point across without quoting 57 different studies, he is extremely well educated in the field and knows more about training than most people you will ever meet. If you need him to, he can recite the studies and books in question. He just chooses to rely on real world experience first and foremost, which makes him a hell of a coach in our eyes. Aside from being one of the brightest stars in our industry Murph is one of the most genuinely real people you will ever meet with… …continue reading.
Originally written for EliteFTS in 2005
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your background and how you get started?
AC: I was a competitive martial artist – LOVED to fight. After winning a few fights, and losing a few I realized that the people I beat, or didn’t beat knew the same martial art as I did. This fascinated me. How could one man beat another man, who had the exact same knowledge about fighting? Strategy plays a part, but that’s part of what you should already know. It kind of hit me that the only thing separating the winner from the loser was how they applied the techniques. How fast they moved. How hard they hit. How long they could go for. When technical skill was identical between two competitors, the strongest and fastest athlete will win almost 100% of the time. In other words it was fitness and conditioning that would end up determining who took home the gold. With this in mind, I started studying physiology, and the methodology of training. This engulfed me. I went to college in Scotland to study it, continued on to a college in England to study some… …continue reading.
I have been discussing training volume quite a bit lately and have gotten an inordinate amount of positive feedback for which I would like to thank everyone. However, some people can’t bring themselves to admit that they are doing too much. Others are intrigued by the idea that maybe doing less would yield greater results but can’t seem to let go of the rock. And then there is the group that gives it a shot, only to freak out and go back to their old high volume routines not more than two or three weeks later. To this last group, I need to issue a warning. There is something you must know about low training volumes.
You will shrink. That’s right, you will actually look smaller for a while. That is because your muscles will not hold that same fullness that they did when you did high volume training. One school of thought is that with high volume training, the muscles hold more fluid, nutrients, glycogen, etc. and that is what leads to them having a slightly larger appearnance on an everyday basis. But is that really it? Or is the “swell” actuall from trauma and damage to the… …continue reading.
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