By Dave Ruel, “The Muscle Cook” Makes 1 Serving (About 3 Muffins) Ingredients * – 3/4 cup oatmeal * – 1/4 cup Oat Bran * – 6 Egg Whites * – 1/2 scoop (15g) of Vanilla Protein Powder * – 1/4 teaspoon of Baking Soda * – 1/4 teaspoon stevia * – 1 tbsp of Flax Oil * – 1 diced Apple * – 2 Tbsp of Unsweetened Apple Sauce * – 1/2 teaspoon of Cinnamon * – 1/2 teaspoon of Vanilla Extracts Directions * 1. continue reading.
After what seems like a hundred years of training a million people I can unequivocally state that your results in the gym are directly proportional to your IQ. You either “get it,” or you don’t. The first time someone walks in the gym I usually have a pretty good idea of what their long term progress will be within thirty seconds of meeting them. If not, I know for sure by the end of their first workout. Their attitude, work ethic, and usually most importantly, intelligence are the telltale signs of where they will be… continue reading.
Question: If you train four days a week using an upper/lower split, what is the optimal way to schedule the days? Should I do lower body first followed by an upper-body day, or vice versa? Does it matter? Answer: The traditional way of answering this question is that you should train whatever needs the greatest attention earlier in the week. Sometimes I follow these guidelines and sometimes I don’t. In most cases, I actually prefer to do an upper-body day first, followed by a… continue reading.
A plant based diet is obviously far healthier than a meat based diet. And it’s easy to get absolutely ripped while following a plant based diet. Unless, of course, you eat like a lot of uneducated vegetarians. Just removing meat and dairy from your diet doesn’t make you any healthier if you are still eating excessive amounts of junk food. Eating more fruits and vegetables does. My colleague, John Alvino has just created an entire set of plant based meal plans… continue reading.
— Ever since I first brought up the countless benefits of switching to a plant based diet nearly two years ago a lot of people have started making smarter nutrition choices. The problem, however is that not all foods are what they appear to be, and everything that goes into making them isn’t always listed on the label. To help clear up some of the confusion I have enlisted the help of my colleague, nutrition and fat loss expert, John Alvino. John has designed an incredible list of plant based meal plans that you can see… continue reading.
By Josh Henkin Sandbags have a very rich history, maybe more so than any other training implement. For hundreds of years (possibly thousands) sandbags has been an integral training tool for athletes, specifically wrestlers. Why? They are an inexpensive tool that is incredibly versatile and can offer the benefits of unstable training with a challenging load. This is a benefit that many of today’s unstable gadgets can not provide. However, the benefits don’t stop there. Greater stabilizer, trunk, and grip strength can be developed with sandbags… continue reading.
By Dave “The Muscle Cook” Ruel Makes 4 Servings Ingredients * – 1 pound fresh tilapia fillets * – 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil * – 1 Tbsp. lime zest * – 1/4 cup freshly-squeezed lime juice * – 1/4 cup orange juice (preferably freshly-squeezed) * – 1/2 thai red pepper (optional, only if you like it spicy) * – 1 tsp. seasalt * – 1/2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper Directions * 1. In a bowl, mix olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, orange juice,… continue reading.
Question: Jason, how do you use chains and bands with your athletes? Do you use them on dynamic effort days only or maximal effort days as well? What are the loading parameters? Answer: The answer to your question is I don’t. About 10 years ago I got caught up using chains and bands with almost everyone I trained. We used them as a form of accommodating resistance on dynamic effort days and some… continue reading.
Q: What are the top two common myths that coaches still believe in regarding speed development? A: There are so many myths regarding speed development and proper training but I will give you some that I hear all of the time from coaches. 1. Speed work is running 100 yards or 200 yards or repeat 40’s with little or no rest. This is False. I have coaches tell me all the time that their athletes are doing speed work and then goes into telling me that his athletes are running beasts, suicides, repeat 100 meters, or repeat 40 yards dashes… continue reading.
This is a great recipe from Paleo Cookbooks. Ingredients 250g mince 1tsp salt 1/3 cup almond meal 3 cups baby spinach 1tsp dijon mustard (optional) 25g tomato paste 2tbs sage 1 sweet potato, medium Olive oil Instructions Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180o Celsius/350o Fahrenheit. Place spinach in a bowl and cover with boiling water, leave for 2 minutes before draining as much liquid as possible from the spinach. Chop well. Place spinach in a bowl along with mince, salt, almond… continue reading.
Let’s face it. Everyone wants to look better. I don’t know too many people that don’t want to gain more muscle or lose bodyfat. It’s human nature. You want to appeal to the opposite sex and command respect from you peers. I am obsessed with human performance and train for strength and function first and foremost, but even I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to look better. We all do. But wanting and doing are two entirely different things. Everyone wants to dramatically transform their… continue reading.
Written in 2006 For Todays Man magazine Remember when exercise used to be fun; when you used to get endless hours of physical activity each week without ever dreading the thought of it? Remember when you used to be able to break out into a full sprint without the fear of pulling a hamstring? How about when you could stand up from your chair without your lower back hurting? Oh, to be young. Or maybe it’s actually what we were when we were young…athletes. Sure as we get older we lose muscle mass and flexibility but this can not be… continue reading.
“People think if they’re working 14 hour days that they are getting more done. WRONG. If you work for 11 hours and then do something physical for 3 hours, you’ll be far more productive in those 11 hours than you’d be in 14 hours. It takes energy to make energy- otherwise you’re just sitting at your desk in a daze, feeling overwhelmed by all the things you think you need to do. And then that goes on for years and it comes time to retire, but you’re so out of shape you still can’t do anything… continue reading.
By John Alvino If your goal is to lose fat and build muscle as fast as possible, it is absolutely crucial that you focus your efforts on maximizing your production of the powerful fat burning hormone known as growth hormone (GH). GH is released by the pituitary, and GH levels in the body tend to peak during puberty, and then slowly (yet steadily) decline with age. GH plays a key role in the building and/or maintenance of muscle, as well as the burning of body fat. continue reading.
