Olive Oil, Supplements & Heavy Arm Work
Question: Hey dude…
read on ur blog and twitter about consuming olive oil for extra calories etc….is there a proper way to do it?
I tried one tsp today and came damn close to throwing up and gagging…lol!
Help a brother out…
Matthew Blacker
Answer: Matthew, you gotta man up. Olive oil really isn’t that disgusting. You could always mix it in a shake but the easiest and quickest way is to just take a tablespoon or two straight down the pie hole after each meal. There are other holes that it works in as well, but that’s another story for another day.
Question: Hey Jason, Keep up the good work. I wanted to pick your brain for a second. When I lift weights and train myself I normally mix a scoop of protein with Gatorade while I lift weights and as a post workout drink I mix a scoop of protein with lowfat choclate mik!! Same thing that I tell my clinets. Any thoughts on that? Your book on the Truth About Supplements was spot on by the way!!!!
What is your opinion on all the coaches being on the BCAA, Betaline Kick and Waxy Mazy postworkout drinik kick??
Thanks, Trey Griffith
Answer: Trey, lowfat chocolate milk is a fine post workout although I’m not a big fan of dairy. I might mix some protein powder in with rice milk instead. Gatorade isn’t my favorite thing because of the high fructose corn syrup and other artificial crap. I would get rid of that.
As for most other supplements here is what I recommend… Take quadruple the dose for the first 2-5 days. After that forget about them and stop taking them forever. Well, at least that’s what I do. The few times that I have actually used a “performance enhancing” supplement for longer than that I haven’t noticed anything dramatic enough to make me keep taking it. I basically stick with some essential fats, B12 (because I don’t eat meat), and a few other things that would never claim to add 50lbs to your bench press in two weeks. I tried BCAA’s and creatine about 50 times and never noticed a thing. If people are getting good results with these then by all means keep taking them.
Question: Jason, I know you are a big fan of lifting heavy. What about on direct arm exercises like curls and triceps pushdowns or extension?
Chris
Answer: Chris, I never recommend heavy, low rep sets of curls or pushdowns/extensions. This is a great way to wreck your elbows and, hell, let’s be honest here…curls and pushdowns are whey (thanks to Wendler for that term). No real man gets fired up to go heavy on curls or extensions. The ones that do are usually the same ones that do leg extensions instead of squats or stick with no more than 225 on deads because they don’t want to hurt their backs.
That’s not to say you can’t do direct arm work. But keep the reps above six at least. Nobody should be attempting heavy three rep maxes on barbell curls or dumbbell extensions. Skull crushers usually become elbow fuckers when done for any less than ten reps at the end of the workout when you are thoroughly warmed up and pre exhausted.
As always, I recommend that you go heavy, but for reps that you will get a pump with.
Please leave your comments and questions below.
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Comments on Olive Oil, Supplements & Heavy Arm Work
Hi Jason, I will like to know if it is possible to gain muscle with out gaining weight. I do want muscles but I do not want to be bulky. I work out everyday but only 3 times a week I lift weights. I usually run for one one, is that wrong? Please let me know how I can gain muscles with out having to buy new clothes. Thanks, Juanita
Jason,
You’re totally right about just getting it down. I would eat rocks if it made my stronger. But Matthew might try macadamia nut oil or extra virgin coconut oil if he really can’t stomach olive oil.
awesome hulkamaniac pic, that little dude is fierce!
I know what Matthew is talking about because straight olive oil is really hard to put down by itself. any oil is. blah! The way i started doing it is like they do in Italy. when i went to stay with my auntie over there, everywhere you go they just pour it on their bread and down it like a substitute for butter.
I did have a question though. your book suggests flax oil, coconut oil, hemp oil, olive oil, fish oil and almond oil. What is the difference between taking a variety of oils and just taking olive oil?
lol…..dude, you just decribed me with that 225max dead comment!
OUCH!!!
I thought for 48 I was pretty good……..guess not!
Hey Jason,
Thanks so much for replying to my question about olive oil intake AND for posting it..I feel somewhat privileged! lol Minus the “man up” part
Anyways…point taken and I’m gonna take your advice and man up and see how it goes. It’s not so much the taste as it is the texture or something. It’s as if my body wants to refuse the oil!!?! Weird…can’t quite figure it out.
If it does not work out I will definitely try adding it to shakes or just grow a bigger set!
This whole approach goes against food combining and no carbs/fat meals…do you believe in that?
Thanks again..much appreciated.
Fight the Power!
Matt
ps.the whole other story about different holes… too funny!
Oil isn’t a supplement, it’s a food. Enjoy it as such. Like Brian said, eat it with bread, even throw in a little balsamic.
If Ferruggia would stop being so English he’d know this. What’s the English word for ‘cuisine’? There is none, they had to borrow a French word.
Supplement: A thing or part added to remedy deficiencies.
Dietary Supplement: preparation intended to provide nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fatty acids or amino acids, that are missing or are not consumed in sufficient quantity in a person’s diet.
If you look at it in terms of fatty acids, it contains 103mg Omega 3 fatty acids and 1318mg of Omega 6 fatty acids. Considering our body doesn’t make Omega 3 fatty acids and considering they have such a wide array of health benefits as shown in the article written by Dr. Frank Sacks, Professor of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health.
He states..
Omega-3 fatty acids (also known as n-3 fatty acids) are polyunsaturated fatty acids that are essential nutrients for health. We need omega-3 fatty acids for numerous normal body functions, such as controlling blood clotting and building cell membranes in the brain, and since our bodies cannot make omega-3 fats, we must get them through food. Omega-3 fatty acids are also associated with many health benefits, including protection against heart disease and possibly stroke. In addition to these established benefits for cardiovascular disease, omega-3 fatty acids in high doses (e.g 6 to 10 capsules per day) are used to treat depression. New studies are identifying potential benefits for a wide range of conditions including cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and other autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
I don’t think anyone would disagree with any way of eating it as long as it gets in but it is a supplement..
(And he’s Scottish)
hello.. thanks for read me i have a question for you…look, i want to understand why when i train my legs all my body seems to be pumped, my arms are pumped, and my back seems a little bigger, and my chest is pumped too, then I noticed general growth on my body, i like to train legs on tuesday before monday when i train my chest and my two favorites leg exercises are lounges and squat …
thank a lot..
fabian from chile..
Hey Jason,
I get you aren’t a big fan of direct arm training other than for a nice pump. I have seen a bit of material however saying that for brachiomorphs (people with super long monkey arms like me) that direct arm or leg work is sometimes necessary to REALLY develop the limbs.
Do you alter your training programs much to deal with somewhat unusual body part dimensions/lengths?
Juanita,
The only way to gain muscle without gaining weight is to simultaneously lose bodyfat. This is something you can do as a beginner but gets harder to do as you get more advanced. I would try losing bodyfat first if you are above 15%, and then packing on some size. If you are lean now, then I would start bulking up and then lose some excess bodyfat afterwards.
Brian,
You get a healthier variety of fats that way. Just sticking with one isn’t the best idea. Mix it up.
Will,
I know a lot of guys who are at their strongest in their 40′s. As long as you use perfect technique you should be fine.
Matt,
I do agree with food combining depending on the person, the situation and the goal. To get massive amounts of calories in, following that rule on an every day basis is very difficult for all but the top 1% of the most dedicated guys.
If you have trouble staying lean, however, I would recommend you do your best to keep most meals either high carb or high fat and don’t combine the two. At least not too frequently.
Lame-R,
“If Ferruggia would stop being so English he’d know this.”
That’s hilarious.
Fabian,
You are squatting and getting a bicep pump? Sounds like a good deal to me.
im 47 years old and pretty active but cant get rid of this gut….. its driving me crazy! i also like to lift weights and alittle running… please help!!!!!
Hey now, some of us are 180lb weaklings and just discovered that, with proper form, we actually can deadlift a lot more than 220lbs.
Also, I across the board like to cook my eggs/whites, chicken, sauteed veggies or whatever in olive oil rather than some BS non-stick spray. Even half a tbsp is that much less you gotta take straight!