Bodybuilding is a fun game.
You get to go to the gym and lift weights, you get to build muscles, you get to look good and you get to feel good.
Every man should have a gym membership.
Spending a lot of time in gyms all across the world has taught me many things.
A lot of those things took me ten years to fully realize and utilize.
(Use this article to learn from my mistakes and not make the same mistakes yourself.)
It has been my experience that physique is a result of 33/33/33 split.
33% diet, 33% training, 33% supplementation.
This article will focus on three aspects: Diet, training, supplementation.
Diet tips from the bad guy
1) A lean physique is the result of diet
Leanness is not the result of hard training or cardio - is the result of DIET.
Diet is #1 for fat loss.
You can't “work out hard” and lose fat if you eat sloppy.
Diet is #1 when it comes to losing weight!
Be hungry to stay hungry.
If you ain't hungry, you ain't losing fat.
Dieting is the easiest, least scientific thing in the world: eat less food than you need.
Remember: You cannot out-train a bad diet.
A bad diet will always leave you with too much fat on your body.
On the other hand, if you count calories or intermittent fast you can eat anything you want.
TIP: You can use the MyFitnessPal app to easily track calories.
2) Eat like a bird to lose weight.
To lose weight you have to eat less food.
There are no 2 ways about it.
You have to eat less food.
How you eat less food is up to you:
- you can count calories
- you can eat 5-6 small meals in a day
- you can eat steak and eggs
- you can eat two meals per day
- you can intermittent fast
Doesn't matter how you do it, the only way you are going to lose weight and get lean is by eating less food.
- See also: 14 Down and Dirty Fat Burning Tips
3) Small meals work to lose weight, but they really have to be small
The leanest I have ever been was a result of eating 5 SMALL meals per day and I do mean small meals.
You cannot eat 5-6 normal sized meals and lose fat, you have to eat small meals that aren't particularly fulfilling.
Think of a normal sized meal and take away 50% (or more) and you're on the right track.
This level of leanness was achieved with a diet of roughly 1500 calories per day, spread out over 5 small meals per day.
(You can view the complete diet here.)
4) Big meals work to lose weight, but they have to be spaced far apart
Big meals also work to lose weight.
BUT! the trick is to eat your meals in an 8 hour window and then fast for 16 hours per day.
This is known as intermittent fasting and it's the only way you can eat big meals and lose weight naturally.
5) Use Red Burner - Dieting is very tiring so you need extra energy
When you diet you live on less calories.
Calories are energy. On a diet you consume less energy so you have less energy to spend.
So you need to supplement your energy with supplements or caffeine.
You can use pre-workout supplements, you can use fat-burners, you can use caffeine pills, you can use modafinil, whatever you can get your hands on that works for you.
Coffee works great (Red Coffee is the best) but fat burners work even better.
Red Burner is the best fat burner on the market (and natural).
Red Burner gives me clean energy and steady fat loss. It's my “go-to” when I'm too fat.
When you're dieting you will need extra energy.
If you don't have the energy you will simply quit the diet and eat more food.
I have even found that kratom worked very well for keeping me not focused on hunger.
6) Eat fruit pre-workout for a natural pump
You can use pre-workout supplements that pump the muscles or you can use natural foods to fill the muscles with glycogen.
I often like a little fruit pre-workout (oranges, plums, something sweet).
Fruit has natural sugars that fill your muscles with glycogen.
So when you eat fruit before a workout your muscles have stored glycogen and they're ready, waiting and anticipating a pump.
I find that sugary fruit also gives me a good “wake-up” when I'm feeling drained from dieting.
7) Milk is trash for a physique
Milk is one of the worst foods you can consume.
It is high calorie, high sugar, high fat and worse than all of that - it is full of hormones like estrogen.
Milk is made for little baby cows to turn into big fat cows very fast.
The only way you gain weight mega-fast is by manipulating or ingesting hormones.
Milk is full of hormones (and not the good kind).
Milk is also very, very fattening.
Milk will smooth out a lean physique, so stay away from milk (to stay lean and to stay healthy).
A lot of people are fearful of giving up milk but there is no need to be fearful.
Milk and dairy is an industry out for your money, it is not a health product.
There is nothing in milk that you cannot get elsewhere, but you can stay away from ingesting the estrogen and rBGH in milk. Yuck!
Alternatives to milk?
Personally, I like protein fortified almond milk. Coconut milk will also work.
Reporter: Do you drink milk?
Arnold: No, no milk. Milk is for babies.
8) After you diet for a long time, you start to appreciate the smaller things in life (like ketchup)
When I diet hard I crave simple things like ketchup or brown sugar oatmeal much more than I crave pizza or hamburgers.
When you diet all the weight off to get shredded, get used to dreaming about ketchup and oatmeal instead of pizza and burgers.
9) Scale weight does not matter
The only thing that matters is the mirror.
The scale is only a guide to see where you are going or where you have come from.
The number on the scale should never be the desired result!
If you're chasing bigger numbers on the scale instead of bigger numbers in the gym eventually you are going to get fat.
Ironically, most people with muscles look much bigger at a lighter weight.
At 210 lbs I look like sloppy mess, at 180 lbs I look carved from granite.
On the left: 210 lbs of slop | On the right, 180 lbs of granite
Training tips from the bad guy
10) Body of a Spartan is the best training method for naturals
Body of a Spartan is the best natural method for gaining muscle, gaining strength and losing fat.
That's because I spent an entire year developing it in the shadows in China.
11) Busy people work out in the morning
You can always find time to work out.
The busiest people in the world work out first thing in the morning (think 5am).
The laziest people in the world say “I can't find the time to work out!”
Don't make me laugh.
If busy people can find the time, lazy people can find the time!
There's always time in the early morning when everyone else is sleeping.
Early morning workouts favor a lighter workout.
Working out too hard in the early morning can ruin your day by making you too tired, so when I lift in the wee hours of the morning I don't lift to failure.
12) The best workouts happen at night
Busy people work out in the morning, but the best workouts happen at night.
That is because you are wide awake, you have had some meals and some calories in your belly, you have been stressed throughout the day.
Now you have a recipe for a great workout.
At night, you can work out as hard as you want and not worry about tiring yourself out.
You do not need to be concerned with making yourself too tired, because after you work out at night you can eat dinner and relax at home.
I find that I am also much stronger at night than I am in the morning or in the afternoon.
13) Afternoon workouts are a nice in-between
I typically work out in the afternoons.
I like to spend my mornings working and I don't like the large crowds in the gym at night.
I also find that afternoon is my mental “dead time” so I use that to my advantage and hit the gym in the afternoon, rather than hit the couch.
14) You have to train with intensity
You get this “hard work” mentality from bodybuilders all the time, but what exactly is “hard work”?
Hard work is nothing but a mindset.
When you're in the gym what you need to do is not train hard, you need to train intensely.
Intensity can be quantified, “hard work” cannot.
So train intensely.
You cannot build a physique with lackadaisical training.
You can only build muscle with intense training (even on steroids you must train intensely).
Consistency + Intensity + Right Nutrition + Right Supplementation = Physique
15) Train legs like a woman (unless you're a true bodybuilder)
Men do not need to have enormous legs, unless they are bodybuilders.
Big legs get in the way of many things and are very uncomfortable.
Normal clothing will not fit big legs and your thighs will rub together like a fat persons (even if you are not fat).
Instead, your legs should be medium sized, strong and cut.
To accomplish that you train legs the same way the fitness girls train legs…
Legs respond very well to lighter weight and higher repetitions.
Watch the fitness girls in the gym with the great legs - they all train the same:
Perfect form, slow cadence, light weight, high repetitions.
What about calves?
Unfortunately calves are mostly genetic - you either have them or you don't.
For example black guys tend to not have calves (maybe why they never wear shorts) but Chinese always have big calves.
Personally, I have very high calf insertions and my calves don't grow.
My entire body gets bigger but my calves stay the same size (leaving me to resemble an Ostrich).
If you don't have big calves (or if you have very high calf insertions like me) there is not a lot you can do about it and there is no need to spend time worrying about it.
16) Cardio is necessary for heart and lung health (but not necessary for weight loss)
Cardio is very good for heart health, lung health and it's very good to get your body moving and your blood pumping.
Cardio is good for mental well-being.
Cardio is meditative.
On the other hand I have never found it necessary to utilize cardio to lose fat (diet is key).
To really get fat-loss benefits from cardio it has been my experience that you need to hit cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and do moderate intensity for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Ain't nobody got time for that much cardio (unless it's your job) so you can rely on diet to lose fat.
Or…
You can spend time walking or riding a bike to get natural cardio in.
What Ive been doing is simply running my daily errands on my beautiful, black bicycle instead of driving my big, black jeep.
17) Show up to the gym every day to reap the benefits
The hardest part about going to the gym is actually going to the gym.
That is where most people fail - they simply stop going to the gym or they go to the gym sporadically.
Consistency is key and showing up is the biggest hurdle.
Show up every day and it will pay!
The workouts are easy compared to actually taking yourself to the gym.
The hardest part of success is showing up.
If you show up every day you are in the top 99%.
18) Workout partners are good for accountability, working out harder/longer, and pushing yourself further
You can push yourself harder and further and train more intensely if you have a good training partner.
You'll be able to hit reps you would never be able to hit on your own.
You will also be held accountable for showing up to the gym.
19) Serious people train at least 5 days per week
You often hear people say that 3 days per week is all it takes to get a great physique.
Don't make me laugh.
3 days per week is nothing, you may as well be sitting at home on the couch.
Serious people train 5 or more days per week (that can include both weight training and cardio sessions).
3 days per week isn't even the bare minimum, it's too low of a frequency.
5 days per week of training (you can include cardio) is the bare minimum.
20) Light weight workouts are fine
Light weight workouts are fine.
BUT!
To get any advantage from light weight workouts:
- you have to already have a great physique
- you have to have a lot of gym experience
- you already have to be in good shape
You have to already be big and strong to be able to train like a wimp and make gains.
You have to be able to lift heavy to get any benefit from lifting light.
21) Short workouts are fine
Short, 20 minute workouts are fine.
BUT!
You have to have been working out for a long time to get benefits of short training sessions.
I had to work out for an hour per day for many years so I could learn how to work out for 20 minutes per day and make gains.
Note: I have found that 20 minute workouts are only good for short periods of time (perhaps a month or so), after that your physique will devolve.
22) Getting a good sweat is essential
You need to sweat, that's how you know you are training intensely.
If you ain't sweatin', you ain't gettin' results.
If you find it harder to sweat (because of air conditioning or cool weather) then you can wear a long sleeved shirt or jacket to train in.
I wear a 3/4 sleeve t shirt to help sweat and look good at the same time.
Getting a good sweat also relieves stress and makes you feel accomplished after training.
23) Gotta stretch!
Gotta gotta gotta stretch.
Prehab is very necessary to stay injury free long term.
Always stretch after your training sessions, especially after you train legs.
My soreness levels drop tremendously if I stretch after leg training vs if I don't stretch after leg training.
Stretch, do yoga, get massages - do not neglect!
You'll have your body as long as you're alive, so treat it with love and care.
24) DRINK ENOUGH WATER
I was chronically dehydrated because I didn't pay attention to drinking water.
Big mistake!
You need lots of water every day.
Personally I need 3 liters of water per day.
How do you know if you're getting enough water?
Your urine should be clear and you should not feel dizzy when standing up suddenly.
Symptoms of dehydration include:
- Dry, sticky mouth
- Sleepiness or tiredness — children are likely to be less active than usual
- Thirst
- Decreased urine output
- No wet diapers for three hours for infants
- Few or no tears when crying
- Dry skin
- Headache
- Constipation
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
You can use this water intake calculator to determine exactly how much water you need for your height, weight and activity level.
25) Chase the pump
A great gym pump is the best sign you have worked the intended muscle well.
Bodybuilders always need to get a pump when training.
No pump = not good session.
Bodybuilding is all about the pump (not about the weight used).
So chase the pump in the gym.
26) Machine are good if they fit your body
Machines are not evil, some of them work very, very well.
I do most of my back and leg training with machines.
What you need to do is simply find the machines that work well for your body (and that work your muscles well).
Find the exercises and machines that work for you, because not every machine is designed for every human being.
You don't have to only do machine or only do free weights, a mix works well.
27) Free weights first, then machines
When you first start training you need to train with free weights only.
Machines are a waste of time for new trainers.
It is only after you have developed some strength and muscle that you will get benefits from training with machines.
Machines work only the muscle, but when you first start you do not have any muscle to work, therefore machines are worthless for new trainers.
Build the base with free weights, refine with machines.
28) Invent exercises for your body type.
Your body is not the same as everyone elses.
You need to train correctly for your body, not for the diagram showing you how to train.
You have to spend time in the gym figuring out what exercises work and how to make them work for you.
I bench press using only half repetitions, which is something I picked up from watching guys in the gym with big chests train them.
-Badass American SPARTAN shirt (shown in video) available here: BADWEAR.
I train biceps in a funky way by doing what I call “Abundance curls”.
Supplements + Steroids + Hurt Feelings (from the bad guy)
29) Genetics are an excuse not a setback
You are the same as your parents, grand-parents, great-grandparents.
The only “genetic freaks” are retards and deformed people.
And only a loser cries about their lack of fitness because of “genetics”.
If you eat like fat people you will be fat.
If you eat like lean people you will be lean.
If you train and eat like strong and lean people then you will be strong and lean just like them - there's your “genetics”.
The real role of genetics is about muscle insertions (basically, appearance of the muscle).
No one got enormously big because of genetics, to get enormously big you take enormous amounts of hormones.
30) Sometimes you aren't fat, it's just puffy water-weight (or hair)
It is very easy to mistake fat with water weight.
Water weight comes off very easy, fat does not.
You can get rid of water weight very quickly with supplements like dandelion root.
How do you get fat, puffy face?
Puffy face can come from eating high sodium foods.
Cut back on the mega-high sodium foods, add some dandelion root and your face will lean down in no time.
31) Shave hair to get rid of nasty look
Another way to look fat without being fat is…
Having too much hair?
Yes, having too much hair makes a lean physique look fatter than it really is.
You never see bodybuilders with body hair for a reason.
When I get a haircut, my face immediately looks slimmer.
When my abdominals look puffy, they immediately look better when I shave my stomach.
Yes, you must shave your body hair to show the muscles.
32) OSTA-RED is the best legal supplement available right now
Every natural bodybuilder should buy 2 bottles of OSTA-RED and one bottle of RED-PCT.
It's the best natural supplement on the market and it is not harsh like the old-school pro-hormones were.
It is very mild with a nice “euphoric” feeling.
-> You can grab a bottle of OSTA-RED here.
- See also: The Best Legal Compound For Getting Ripped That Isn't a Steroid (OSTA-RED Review w/ Before and After Pictures)
- OSTA-RED: The New #1 Legal Supplement That Actually Works
33) Read John Doe Bodybuilding for advanced lessons in bodybuilding
John Doe Bodybuilding is the best blog for beginning and advanced bodybuilding.
Doe is old school, his methods are tried and true, and he walked the walk before he ever talked the talk.
Every bodybuilder should read John Doe Bodybuilding.
34) Your size gains will come very fast
You will attain all the size you will ever attain in your first year or two. After that, you refine.
There is no reason to be chasing size after lifting weights for more than 3 years.
After 2-3 years you will be as big as you are going to get without using steroids.
What you need to do at this point is refine your physique by taking your body-fat levels down.
Let the muscles be seen!
Then, if you choose to use steroids or testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) you will gain more size.
Again the size gains will come very fast - you will then need to refine rather than trying to forever add size.
Size comes fast - refinement takes time.
Bonus bodybuilding tips from the bad guy
35) Don't wear grey sweatpants
Sweat dripping from your forehead to your crotch will look like a pee-pee stain.
36) Do what it takes to get where you want to be
If you want to be a really big boy with big muscles and low body-fat then you gotta do what the big boys do.
Is that cheating?
Don't make me laugh.
Your heroes don't believe in heroes.
Instead, they believe in doing the work and becoming the hero.
For next level knowledge you must read Straight from the Underground.
37) The leaner your face is, the more handsome you become
Having a lean face makes a huge difference in handsome levels.
Even a handsome man like myself looks terrible with a fat face.
When I have fat face syndrome I look like a pig, when I have a lean face I look much different.
And the reality is that most guys who go from fat face to lean face start to look like models (unless they have acne or are otherwise very ugly).
Fat face vs lean face
So lean that face down and get that jawline showing.
Normal girls appreciate a lean face more than they appreciate 20 inch arms and a 405 lb bench press.
I promise.
See Also: How to Get a Lean Face and Be More Attractive
Until next time.
Your man,
-Victor Pride
PS - Pay close attention to RED SUPPLEMENTS because we have some very cool, very effective and very kick-ass supplements on the way.
I’ve been waiting for this since 5:30am.
My man.
Lately I have been working my body to an entirely new level of soreness and exhaustion by working 8 hours a day at an extremely physical job cleaning up the hospital followed by intense cardio with muay thai or boxing followed by a LITTLE lifting afterwards because that’s about all I can take. On the days when I do BJJ, I really tear it up and the next day I feel like I have been in a damn car wreck or something.
Funny how I’m sure most people would say I’m overtraining but an EXCELLENT DIET really is key! I eat clean and lean and even at 31 years of age my body feels great. It rarely takes me a day or two to recover and I am very, very strong and lean. Awesome article Victor!
Vic, got a question regarding your discussion on milk. Does this apply to all dairy products or just plain milk specifically? I’ve been eating some cheese daily as a snack. My understanding is cheese is better for you than milk (less lactose/carbs), but I’d like your input.
TBH I believe cheese is very bad also. Baby steps though. I also like pizza now and again (I see no other substitute for cheese), milk is easily replaceable as a drink though.
Yeah, I steer clear of milk…just don’t really like drinking it anymore. Might switch out the cheese sticks with an apple and almond butter or something. Really going for convenience snacks/meals as life seems to be getting more and more hectic. Thanks for your input, Vic. Stay strong.
I suppose it’s the same with yogurt. Right?
Anyway, I guess that you will be fine with dairy, as long as you don’t eat it on a regular basis.
I have also eliminated milk from my diet, but I can’t do without cheese and yogurt (smoothies).
Just replace with almond. Dairy milk can be replaced with almond milk. Cheese can be replaced with almond butter. Nuts in general are high in monounsaturated fat, which boosts testosterone.
You don’t want cow estrogen in your body giving you man boobs.
Great article. Besides content, linking and putting social media is perfect. Master of blogging : V Pride.
Thanks Paok.
Nice post victor, I agree with what you said about getting shorter and less intense workouts in. I’ve noticed that over my last 3 years of lifting, the best way to progress is to with “average” workouts consistently, with consistently. Not from limiting gym time to the few awesome workouts where you feel invincible.
Also about the fat face from high sodium foods, cutting back on carbs and replacing the calories with fat will also do the same thing. As the carbs cause your body to retain sodium, hence the puffy face.
Anyway, good shit my man.
Average workouts frequently, with consistency**
Thanks Ryan, good tips.
“Also about the fat face from high sodium foods, cutting back on carbs and replacing the calories with fat will also do the same thing. As the carbs cause your body to retain sodium, hence the puffy face.”
I will avoid high sodium food and other fast food/processed food and cut back on carbs and will report back the results here. Thanks for the tip Ryan.
Hey Vic,
I agree with most things on the article. I do disagree with having to train every single day, even if you’re working out different muscles each day overall it can tiring to the body in general if you’re lifting 7 days a a week. I use to do this and i would just have no energy by the 6th straight workout of the week. Rest days are great way to let your muscles recover and grow. As well as recover in energy so you can return to the gym and have some great lifts.
Also it would’ve been nice to see some more detail on diet, most importantly talking about having to eat high protein when cutting to avoid losing a lot of muscle during a cut. (While supplements can help not everyone is taking supplemetns like OSTA-RED).
Other than that it was a good read and covers most of what you need to know for lifting/fitness.
My favorite part was about leaning out making your face more atttactive. Completely agree, i finished my cut and have never gotten this much attention from girls. Highly recommend having a combo of a great lean body and lean face if you want to win big in the dating game.
Keep up the good work man!
I didn’t say lift weights every day, I included cardio in that.
So would you say lift weights most days, cardio on rest days?
I’d say be physical 5 or more days per week.
Most importantly one should learn to train and not follow any workout schedule. Personally I follow my intuion. I just make a mental note of the body part that I have to hit and bamm!!
Anyway what do you think about cottage cheese uncle Vic?
I asked a similar question above about other dairy products. Find my comment above.
Hey Jacob,
I don’t know if you know about Paneer (cottage cheese is commonly used to denote Paneer). Paneer is slow digesting(casein)
You can even make it at home, its easy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQu5jVagfao
Personally, I have experienced tremendous growth in strength and size with Paneer; I ate it with Casein shake every night for about 2 months. My bench press went up from 225 to 295lbs.
Yes its fattening, but you can reduce your carb intake.
Interesting. I think I might switch out the cheese sticks with an apple and almond butter next week to see what effect it has on my energy levels and weight. It’s all about experimentation.
Great article. I’m liking the frequent youtube and instagram uploads, keep it up brother.
Will do Blayde.
Hi Vic, great article! I’ve got a question tho: is it possible to gain muscle mass AND lose body fat % at the same time? If so then how to do it? I’m naturally skinny 5’11 155lbs probably around 12% bf, I want to drop below 10% bf to get visible abs, but at the same time I know I’m too skinny and need to put on some weight. What would be a good plan of action here?
P.S. 18) “You cna push yourself” should be “You can…”
It is possible but I wouldn’t worry about it in your case, I would just concentrate on gaining weight.
Why is milk bad? You’ve said that it bad, but why and how does it ruin your health and your gains?
Follow the link I posted.
I don’t agree with everything obviously because my own experiences have been different to yours.
However, you make some very good points and it’s undeniable that your advice works 100%.
If anyone reading this is sceptical of Victor’s advice, don’t be.
He clearly knows what he’s talking about. Just look at his pictures if you’re not convinced yet.
My favourite points you bring up are Intermittent Fasting, training in the morning vs evening and losing face fat.
I agree 100% with everything you say about those topics.
Being lean is a crucial part of becoming good-looking. Many bodybuilders end up chasing muscle gains for far too long and just get fat in the process.
I am currently about half-way through my cut and I don’t plan on doing another lean bulk in the next year. Like you say, most of your gains come in the first 2 years.
I’d rather be lean year-round instead of gaining an extra 2 pounds of muscle by going through a lean bulk and cutting cycle.
By the way, it’s interesting to see how Victor’s recent tweets feature the same themes as this article.
Thanks for writing these articles Victor!
Your man,
James
Thanks James.
Holy hell, these tips are great!
I used to lift 4 days per week and felt good, but now I’m doing some form of lifting 7 days per week. I noticed I got extremely lazy during the 3 rest days I had per week, even though I never missed a workout.
What do you think of people like Mike Vacanti or Greg from Kinobody who are big on the 3 day splits? They’ve made solid progress on them, although they’re already at the upper limit of natural potential.
Either way, I’m fired up! I got back from the gym a couple hours ago and I already want to go smash some weights. Messed my back up yesterday so I’m doing rehab work, but I’m never giving up.
Thanks,
-Gabe
“What do you think of people like Mike Vacanti or Greg from Kinobody who are big on the 3 day splits?”
Did I not make my thoughts on 3 day splits obvious enough for you?
edit: Big ol’ LOL at them being natural.
Haha, okay gotcha. I just find it odd how people at that level of physique can recommend it. Then again, gear is a powerful thing. Thanks.
GOG recos a three day split with long walks (cardio on rest days).
Is there a foolproof way of finding out the true 100% natty fitness gurus from the fakes I wonder?
Publishing bloodwork would help I guess
“GOG recos a three day split with long walks (cardio on rest days).”
More than 3 days per week, LIKE I SAID.
“Is there a foolproof way of finding out the true 100% natty fitness gurus from the fakes I wonder?”
Yeah, there’s a very easy way - all of them are lying.
lol he has strong legs ayy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv5WdYtb64o
His legs look full natty. It looks like he’s never trained legs ever.
How can you tell they aren’t natural?
Not being a dick Victor but Greg O’Gallagher is always banging on about how he is 100% natural and doesn’t even take supplements - What gives?
Maybe he is a Test only pinner?
I can’t stand fitness scammers calling others out on being fake nattys and what not and pinning themselves.
Thanks
“Greg O’Gallagher is always banging on about how he is 100% natural and doesn’t even take supplements”
There’s your first clue right there.
Who yaps repeatedly about something they’ve never done? Sure is on their minds quite a bit.
Watch some Lance Armstrong lying documentaries on youtube for examples of how a liar lies (“100% natural” is a liars lie, he could have just said natural). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c96qIK5uwNg
Thanks Vic, it’s clear, a bit like that saying; “The lady doth protest too much” :)
Exactly.
Vic, That Lance Armstrong documentary on body language and lying is excellent.
Thanks for posting this
GOG “Steroids - The Real Reason Why You Shouldn’t Use Gear”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfm5oM9rHF0
How many of Lance symptoms can you guys find?
1) He brags on a lot in the vid how he is natty like he tries to convince himself as well.
2)?
3)?
dumb me forgot to post link..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv0IL7ohf_A
You know Greg O’gallagher is a liar when he says things like kinobody is a 7 figures per year business… are you kidding me? He is bottom tier in the fitness world, there is no way he makes that money. All the luxury he shows in his videos are heritage from his rich dad who passed away. Don’t kid yourself.
As for him being natural? I have no problem believing that. He is not big at all, just low bodyfat with good shoulders.
7 figures very easy to believe. In the industry we call it taking noob cash. Easy to do. Anyone with a physique can do it.
The guy Greg says it’s okay to eat as much junk food as you want, as long you eat some greens and at the end of the day you reached that number of carbs,protein,fats per day.
He constantly brags how he had ice creams yesterday and now he is eating pizza and over exaggerates the usefulness of intermittent fasting.
By the way…my uncle used to work at Pizza Hut and he said that they used to hold cheese in the freezer for many months,would use moldy cheese when making pizza and on top of that they had a container(or more?) of moldy corn and would put new corn at the top of the container and mix it up.
Also told some stories how each employee would steal food,would pretend to put junk in the garbage bin but later they would take those and bring them home. Got some more stories but I doubt many would care to hear.
I suggest you all make your home made pizza if you like it so much,unless you trust the pizza provider and stuff.
1 million dollars per year is noob cash? So you are telling me john doe makes that kind of money or close to that right now?
If it’s easy to make so much money with a physique I think it’s time for me to really start thinking about steroids and get to the next level…
You misunderstood. He’s making money from gullible noobs. TAKING noob cash, not making noob cash.
Yep, I misunterstood. It’s so true though, naive people believing Mike O’hearn for exemple. ”He’s been training for very long, so its possible!!!” lol, the guy is almost 50 years old but looks 30 and incline bench 500 lbs. He’s got the best physique out there IMO.
Here’s a must watch video:
How To $pot A Fake Natty $alesman
https://youtu.be/Se_eMxK6wzY
The guy whos video you posted -spot a natty just made a video about Kinobody yesterday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH8ypG8yMus
alright, alright
Hi Victor! Great article with loads of information. I had two questions 1)what if one is not taking a solid diet within diet within first 2-3 years of training?will he gain size afterwards with improved diet and supplements(i am 18 year old student ,so cant afford spending too much ) 2)Best frequency,according to you,to train a muscle group.
1) Nothing will happen
2) 2-3X per week for naturals
Another home-run from Uncle Vic !
Gentlemen, we got ourselves a gem with the topic of leanness in the face and how important it is for happiness. I’ve gotten a lot of positive attention from females after reaching sub 9% body-fat.
Males get more aggressive towards you at the gym, but it means that something is working and them being emotional makes me a happy man.
Just as a heads-up Vic:
Low-fat cottage cheese seems to be the best bet in regards to building/keeping a lean body. Milk is indeed horrible, not only as a food since it bypasses the digestive tract quickly, but also because of its estrogen increasing qualities. I could be mistaken about the cottage cheese, so if anyone knows more I would be glad to hear about it. It’s a great food before going to bed, mixed with some peanut butter.
“Low-fat cottage cheese seems to be the best bet in regards to building/keeping a lean body.”
The best bet for what? I haven’t eaten cottage cheese in 5 years.
“The best bet for what? I haven’t eaten cottage cheese in 5 years.”
Let me rephrase:
If you want to still eat some form of dairy it seems to be the safest bet out of all dairy products. It’s not a necessity to build a great physique of course, but it can be a great meal when cutting because of the slow releasing protein and the satiety factor when you mix it up with peanut butter.
I see.
This explains why whenever I drank milk, I just did not feel good. My sinus problems would worsen, would get indigestion problem, get phlegm problems and would look bloated the next morning.
Sometimes I watch fitness clips and there will still be guys talking about “genetics” and “I”m 100% natty”. This “genetic” topic is beaten to death. I think by now most people should know #36 and apply it.
I used to just do flat bench press with wide grips but I been changing it from time to time with close grip bench press and I feel more pumped up when I mix it up and do exercises that I didn’t usually do.
Like with wide grip pull ups which I have been doing so many times and someone mentioned to me the benefits of close grip pull ups which I added.
It’s really helpful that I’m learning new things about working out each and everyday when I read upon it, apply it and notice the results.
#15 on this article is like new to me. I kind of got some clue but didn’t know that legs respond differently from other body. I been doing leg workout like low rep and high amount of weights like when I was doing squats. Sometimes I would sprint with running shoes and next day, my legs would be so sore that I would like shake when I walk. But that feeling (muscle soreness) feels good though; I dunno why behind the scientific explanation.
I also want to make one very important note here with working out in the morning. Lighter workouts in the morning is fine like the article stated but I want to mention one thing. When you wake up, your spine is decompressed thereby making you look slightly taller than at evening. When you do workout in the morning, I would Not recommend doing heavy deadlift because you are more prone to getting injured like easier chance of disc slippage. With other workouts, you can do heavy as long as your form isn’t too sloppy but with deadlift, take careful consideration of how much you are lifting and use good form. If your spine is ruined, you don’t get second chance. Look at Bruce Lee, although he got injured from “Good Morning” exercise.
I would recommend doing heavier workouts at evening time. I personally like working out in the Late afternoon/evening time.
I find if I work out hard in the morning, I’m sleepy the rest of the day. I might do a light walk/jog in the morning, but I save the real heavy workouts for the evening.
Victor,
I started body of a spartan 6 weeks ago combined with the steak and eggs diet. so far, results are good. in body of a spartan, the squat routine is a combination of 5×5 and singles but in this article you stated we should trading legs at high volume. are you recommending a change to the body of a spartan routine? keep the words coming.
Follow BOAS.
Will Red Supplements one day have a Laxogenin product, a fat burner, a greens powder supplement, a multivitamin, fish oil, and a joint complex?
Stay tuned.
Hi Vic, I was watching this seminar by Mike Mentzer a few days ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PEqArxktGw
First, he made a very compelling logical case for why you need to hit the weights with high intensity. But, then he went on to talk about the importance of recovery period between workouts. According to him, the recovery capacity of body is limited and it takes the body around a week to recover from a high intensity session.
Since I have been following BOAS, I am very suspicious of his claims of importance of long recovery period. But I have noticed that hitting the gym hard everyday is not the smartest thing to do. As the days progress, you get worn out and muscles don’t show much growth. Mentzer claims that his program has worked for many natural trainers and gives many examples of such people throughout his seminar.
I am hesitant to experiment with his method because to see results I must wait for weeks. I was wondering what you think about his second claim. Have you ever tried giving a rest of a week between highly intense workouts? If yes, did it work for you and what is your conclusion about the effectiveness of his program?
Every bodybuilder on earth trains 4 or more days per week. Only Mentzer said otherwise. Don’t you think if it worked everyone would do it?
Training 4 or more days per week certainly works! It is also consistent with the idea that you put in more work and get more out of it. But most people don’t push themselves to failure because pain is discomforting. Mentzer says that if you do go to failure, you should provide more days for your body to heal. This also makes sense to me because more intensity means more time to recover. What I question is whether a week worth of rest is too much or not? I think I will instead just let my body tell me how much rest it requires. Anyway, thanks for your input, Vic.
Mentzer’s philosophy is somewhat right. For a natural, it is superior to put emphasis on high intensity instead of high volume. The amount of Cortisol that you secrete during the workout will benefit your Testosterone levels, believe it or not. Higher stress during the workout leads to higher resting Testosterone. Higher volume simply doesn’t cut it for naturals (especially if you’re cutting, your Test levels will plummet since you need to give your body some kind of signal to KEEP the muscle on). I tested my levels in the last 4 months and I tend to stay above 800 ng/dL (I’m 27). I work out three times a week and haven’t taken more than 3 days of rest in a row in the last year. I’m not sure what Mentzer meant by needing one week of rest. Maybe he meant one week for that specific body part ?
Now, for the people juicing high amount of anabolics or being on TRT, I’m sure high volume works. They have the optimal Test levels so they don’t need as much intensity in the gym, although they certainly can train for intensity.
Just my two cents…
I just realized that if I replace ‘bodybuilder’ with ‘professional bodybuilder’ in your comment then it makes a very strong case against Mentzer. I typically don’t think about professional bodybuilders because they are on gear and I am not. But, Mentzer’s argument doesn’t really have much to do with gear.
Vic,
Do you own Red Supplements?
Thanks
Partially, yes.
Ay V,
When does one know to transition from heavy sessions to lighter sessions for reaping new benefits? Any general guidelines on that, and how to tell if you’re ready 2 move on,
All the best.
Typically after training and heavy for a few years.
Thank you V, keep up the good work.
Hey Victor,
I agree with more than 90% of the points here. I am not going to write about them but rather the ones where I really disagree to make it more interesting. Maybe I will be proven wrong somewhere. I will share my thoughts.
About me: (23 year old business law college student from a German speaking country. Height: 6ft 2 inches; Weight: usually somewehere betweeen 210 and 230lbs. Lifting experience: I am in my fifth year of lifting and I have been doing intense whole-body workouts (that usually last 2 hours) every third day for 5years now. Body fat: never lower than 10% ; I have had slight puberty gyno with small lumps under both my nipples since I was 13 so I do not get below 10% body fat because for me that is where the lumps would really start to become visible.)
I personally disagree a bit with points 1, 7 and 34 and this should be read by more advanced bodybuilders and not by beginners who might get my points in a wrongful way.
Point1: I disagree because there are a few lifters who train like insane freaks (me included IMO) and can get away with a LOT of food. I have times where I eat like a pig for weeks or months and get away with everything. But I had times when I was not into lifting and would just get fat and a round face too. I would not even say that I have a fast metabolism (and I barely ever use stuff like T3). I usually listen to aggressive music (which can even be superior to caffeine sometimes) and just move from set to set for 2 hours straight and do much more work than all the guys around me. So for guys, who still want to get away with eating a lot of good stuff AND EVEN LEAN OUT A BIT (over the course of months) train like an unstoppable freak during every workout.
Point 7: I do not really disagree here but many people love milk. I always thought it is soy or soy protein that you really should avoid because of estrogen issues and many bodybuilders drink a lot of milk and are in great shape. If someone is a beginner and suddenly thinks that the GOMAD diet (where you drink tons of milk) will bring his physique to a whole new level and not make him fat together with all the other food that he eats throughout the day then yes- he will just end up being fat.
Point 34: Slightly disagree here.
My first year of training: gained quite a lot and surpassed all of my lifting friends. Worked in a fast food restaurant for my first real job for some time and ate everything in sight.
Second year: Gained a bit as well but was in the military and lived in a shit hole there. Still tried to work out a lot but the environment there sucked out all the energy and highly motivated to do the least amount possible.
Third year: Gained quite a lot and did two small Superdrol+low dosed Dianabol cycles but cut down later on as I was just getting too fat.
Fourth year: Was not really excited about bodybuilding anymore but still worked out quite a lot. No more steroids for me and only natural training.
Fifth year (only natural as well): I started reading more of JohnDoeBodybuilding which brought my body to a whole new level and really surpassed what I had reached with steroids in terms of size. I mostly started using slower reps and headphones during every workout which worked wonders for my well-being when working out. In summer 2015 I worked in a business law firm with some of the best paid lawyers in the world and the chief lawyer of the firm who earns more than the president of my country (and probably more than most bloggers as well.) I was really starting to push it to a new level in terms of size summer 2015. I often had to do different types of tasks there and when it was getting really really hot I was allowed to wear a T-shirt at work during a few days. This is when I even started feeling out of a place a bit. I did look like a strongman but certainly not like the other lawyers there and was getting a lot of whatthefuck looks and comments there. One day my chief lawyer even started asking me how long I have been doing what I do and how he keeps in shape himself.
Today, just like in summer 2015 I have 19 inch arms at probably 11% body fat and bigger than almost everyone in my gym just except for the guys who benchpress 400+ lbs (with some type of bigger gut most of the time).
JohnDoeBodybuildings’ “Becoming the Bull” certainly played a major role. 80% of my workouts are the strength workouts were I do more sets and only 3 very slow reps for every set and mostly beneficial for strength . BUT ONLY 20% of my workouts are the REAL MASS WORKOUTs where I can finally use the new strength to use more weight on hypertrophy sets to get bigger muscles. (During MASS WORKOUTS I USE THE SPECIAL TECHNIQUES FROM THE BOOK AS WELL)
All in all the first 3 years will be essential in terms of size but many guys will want to gain lots of size even later on naturally. Gaining most of the size within the first 3 years will happen ONLY FOR THE GUYS WHO really really have the right source of knowledge (for instance JohnDoebodybuilding). For the majority of people- especially people sitting on bodybuilding.com forums –certainly not.
2 additional things that I would like to mention:
1. Victor, you could really give my version of cutting hair a try. I have been cutting my hair for 7 years now. Until 22 my hair looked like yours most of the time. I would really encourage you to let the longer hair on top of your head longer out a bit more one the sides. Just one quarter of an inch of the longer hair added on each side of your head and your head will look leaner for a LONGER period of time( I promise). This is not only an easy way to make your face look even better (it will give you more of a square look like GLL has/had on some pics) you will even save time because you will not have to cut your side hair every 2 weeks but every 3 or 4 weeks. BETTER LOOK +TIME SAVING = WIN-WIN. At least that is how I do it. Already got compliments since I started doing it almost 2 years ago.
2. A super cool thing that I recently bought for my own birthday some days ago for like 15 bucks are HEAVY GRIPS from amazon. I have hesitated to buy them for 4 damn years and they are awesome. I do a few low rep sets in the morning and my forearms have a slight pump for the whole day. Literally takes a few seconds. Sometimes I use them when a webpage is loading or I watch a youtube video. The required time is theoretically much less than doing hammer curls for forearms and the gains are way superior because the resistance is so damn high. They are fun for me to use and I occasionally use them for a few seconds in front of my Pc. (I did not want to waste money so I ordered the almost most difficult version 300lbs gripper king version). I have really big forearms but when I got them one week ago I could close only one quarter of them. Today I can already close half of them and my forearms look even bigger and slightly more veins popping out. I really think they are awesome to get ahead of 99% of all lifters in terms of forearm development in a pretty short time and get some badass forearms (and we all know that forearm gains will slightly increase other gains as well).
If you have an upcoming birthday you might want to have some fun with them as wel maybe. : )
Have a good day
You’re right about everything in your article besides one thing….you never looked like shit at 210 lbs
Where does rest come in? Or just play it by ear depending on individual?
Rest when you need rest. No one needs 4 days of rest per week.
I read the milk article and this part raises eyebrows:
“They discovered that whole milk from Japanese Holsteins contains far more estrogen and progesterone (67 percent and 650 percent, respectively) than whole milk from Mongolian cows”
Humans have drank milk for so long that European population have even developed a lactose tolerance to it genetically.
I found expensive milk at my store in the old school glass bottles, not even homogenized! Grass fed natural and all that… i don’t drink it all the time but sometimes i enjoy a nice cup of chocolate milk.
I never drink that rgbh crap anymore, and besides rgbh, non organic milk got horrible cow treatment with non stop milk production and antibiotics through the roof, it’s a crime against humanity and animals in my opinion, like some nazi shit!
When i was a kid, teenager i drank tons of milk, probably affected my development. Now at 25 I’m doing all in my power to eat well, exercise, and become worthy of being a MAN.
Just my 2 cents.
Victor -what do you think of deloading?
And if you do it how often do you do it?
Rest when you need rest. Easy as that.
Great post.
For milk / dairy, do you also recommend staying away from cream and butter? Are the hormones also accumulating in the high fat products?
What’s your view on HIT / HIIT in lieu of or in addition to cardio?
I know he is a big proponent of butter, the cream, not sure how V. Pride feels about the cream though, see his steak and eggs article for his view on butter.
Right, but Vic’s views are evolving. As new info comes out and he gains different experience, he has changed some of his views.
calm down guys it’s just butter
Fantastic Article once again uncle Vic, as a proponent of your Body of A Spartan Program, I can say it’s simplicity is certainly one of it’s strong suits.
The fact that I tried it and experienced fantastic results speaks volumes about your credibility as a mentor for health and fitness.
Thank you
Thank you Ryan.
+1 for tip 35. Have to remember that one.
Vic, I think you’re dead on with dehydration. I was tired as shit all day no matter what and could not figure out what the hell it was.
Start downing water and within 1 day felt more energy. I’m a 6′ 3” 185 so on the bigger side and I guess I just needed more.
Also, whatever happened with New World Ronin - any update on that?
Yes, I updated that here https://boldanddeterminedarchive.com/merry-christmas-2015/
I have a request for a guide to building great abs.
Ab shape is genetic, nothing you can do about it. To see abs you need diet the fat off. Simple as that.
So when you were a big bloated bag of shit…were you on the sauce?? Or just taking town like 10 chili dogs a night?
I agree…much better off shredded. The only people that give a rats ass about your bicep measurements or bench press are other dudes. “Damn bro, how much ya bench?” haha Chicks, on the other hand will take chiseled every single time.
But, in fairness to being a big bloated pig…I made serious muscle gains those years. You can’t refine without a base.
All in all you’ve got some solid advice here. Wish I knew all of this when I started lifting 15 years ago. Todays youth is much more fortunate having the internet in their pocket. I got most of my bro-science education reading muscle&fitness or whatever other bullshit mag that was trying to peddle rice flour supplements at the time. Except for good old 1-AD. That stuff was legit. And the pre-workouts with DMAA…good stuff too. It’s a sad joke that anything that works gets banned.
I used to be a carb nazi…I preached that crap for two or three years. And it works!! Really, really well! But intermittent fasting works really, really well too and it disproved the whole theory of insulin response with carbs…I eat whatever the fuck I want nowadays and still maintain under 10% body fat. Leanest dude in my gym by far. Just had 2 pizza burritos full of bacon, pepperoni, grilled chicken, mozzarella and spaghetti sauce on fresh cooked tortillas. I’m a god damned genius for inventing that burrito flavor BTW.
Intermittent fasting is like the lazy (but disciplined) way of dieting. You can sleep in later not having to make breakfast, work through lunch breaks…not even think about food. That alone gets me an hour or two of extra productivity every single day. No making, ordering, driving to, sitting down or being social…just all business all day.
So case in point- all diets work…just pick one and stick with it. And practice some god damned discipline.
I also suffer from no calves. So I feel your pain and after a billion calf raises, donkey raises, leg press calf presses to no avail..I too have accepted my fate. All good; I still get my dick sucked from time to time..calves or not. So don’t cry boys. Life goes on.
Keep up the good work
Chuck
I’m right there with as far as the I.F. the warrior diet is great. plus working while everyone’s eating priceless.
“3 days per week is nothing, you may as well be sitting at home on the couch.
Serious people train 5 or more days per week (that can include both weight training and cardio sessions).”
Horse shit. I workout 3-4 times a week and I’m strong as a horse, lean as a cheetah.
Your website is a nice copycat of Anabolic Men . com so I wouldn’t say you count as ”Serious people” though.
NO PHOTO, OBVIOUS DELUSION ABOUT HOW LEAN YOU ARE.
http://anabolicapex.com/about/
strong toes,LOL
You know what they say about toes..
Here’s a photo or 2 man.
http://anabolicapex.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/20160109_232809.jpg
http://anabolicapex.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/IMG_20150419_105525.jpg
Don’t get offended so fast. 5 days a week can work too if you keep it short (30-45 mins).
strong as a horse… how much do you bench with that frown?
Vic, BOAS is an awesome book. Great content and simplicity. Very complete weightlifting program. Everything from the marketing, diet, and programming is fucking genius. I have lifted for years and am beginning to not feel athletic anymore and slow. Being a man who walks the walk, do you feel that BOAS will transform you into the modern day Spartan? Able to handle whatever life may throw at you? Thanks man. Bad ass book!
THANKS SETH - YES
Good points. but I’m surprised about your point on training legs like a girl, I think your article on how to train legs without getting sore is a better way to go. Singles with 90% of your fast 1rm or even doubles at 88% and triples at 85%.
Training for strength makes the legs hard and good looking if lean and at least it’s useful to have powerful legs. Keeping the volume low will prevent them to get ”too” big.
Hello Victor, thank you, you are an inspiration to me. I am 52 years old, and have always been in good health, but when I was young I did not understand the importance of weights for physique and a tuned up body and mind. Since I completed your Thirty Days of Discipline my fitness and energy and strength and tone have risen to a new level. I take all of your advice very seriously, as fitness is the best investment and insurance for my future happiness and wellbeing. I am terminating milk in my diet now.
THANK YOU ROBERT
I’m 50 years old and in decent shape, but I bought your book and am going to transform. I’m 6’2″ and 190 but am probably what you’d call skinny-fat. I’m a low-carb meat eater but really need to lean down and build muscle, especially my chest. Looking forward to the book
KEEP US POSTED ON PROGRESS BRUCE
Hey Vic,
Thanks for the article. I like the tip about the fruit pre-workouts. I like fruit, but am never sure when I can or should eat (due to sugar). One comment and two questions for you:
I used Osta-Red in December and January (two pills/day or 25mg). Besides slight stomach aches in the first two weeks (very slight, didn’t stop me from doing anything), I had no side effects. I didn’t receive much benefit from it (at first), but that was because late Dec and early Jan I didn’t do much of anything physically (Christmas and such). But late Jan/early Feb I ramped up my training and I think the Osta-Red acts accordingly. My weight stayed about the same though my fat began to drop off. I’m almost out and I ordered the Osta-Red + PCT recently.
That brings me to one of my questions: Is there any special way to use these two products together or can I just pop 3 per day (spread through the day) over 30 days? Or is that a bad idea?
Second question: Should I eat more before my workouts to compensate for the fact that afterwards, I’d like to sleep as soon as possible? Or have a giant lunch? My usual schedule is come home from desk work, lift for 30 min - 1 hour, eat a small snack (for energy), take a 30 min nap, then train karate for an hour+ (basically my cardio + legs). By the time I’m back home for dinner it’s 10pm and I’d like to get some sleep but I’m full and can’t just jump into bed. I imagine an answer might be “do what you feel works for you”, which is fine, but if you have any tips I’m open.
As usual, great job!
QUESTION 1 - YOU NEED TO EAT RIGHT (DIET IF TOO FAT) AND YOU NEED TO EXERCISE.
QUESTION 2 - I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU EAT FOOD POST TRAINING, NOT SKIPPING YOUR POST TRAINING FOOD. YOU NEED IT FOR RECOVERY.
Thanks for the quick reply!
For Question 1, I didn’t mean to make it sound like I was hoping that these supplements were magic wonder drugs. I’m real new to these supplements in general and none of your posts or pages make note about how to use the two together, though there is mention of it in the comments (unless I’m being dumb about not understanding the ‘post-cycle’ part of PCT).
Swallow pills as described by the instructions on the bottle. There isn’t much more to it TBH. Take OSTA-RED first, if you need PCT then use it. Biggest reason to use PCT would be gyno (sore, puffy nipples), or general fatigue.
Thank you for your unique perspective on bodybuilding, Victor! Very interesting
THANKS ALEKS
Sales, Marketing and Perception.
Connect those dots with BODYBUILDING, Fitness gurus online, diet marketing.
Sales, Marketing and Perception.
Everything in life is about sales. EVERYTHING.
Next time someone tells you they are 100% natty with ripped abs and huge traps and shoulder, you can laugh out loud HAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHA
and then you can silently Thank Victor Pride.
I was watching variety of fitness clips online on youtube (to study marketing -not for bodybuilding specific) and I came across some commenter who said Goku (some random Asian bodybuilder) was natty and I laughed out so hard that I spilled water on my keyboard.
“natural”, “genetics”, those words are thrown around so many times, I just have to wonder sometimes…….
i’m not saying this or any other guy is natural or not, but what in the world makes you think that you know what is the limit of the human body in terms of muscle and strength? You don’t know. You just look at some guys and tell yourself that they are on tons of steroids to make you feel good about yourself because you know you wouldn’t be able to get where they are.
There are some people out there that have better genetics, they are outliers and they can build muscle and strength much easier than others. It happens. They can stay natural and be very impressive or start taking steroids and become elite. The top pro bodybuilders in the world are people with top genetics and added steroids… genetics AND steroids.
Then you have people with shit genetics that won’t even look that impressive even with steroids.
I had small calves until I started jumping rope for 10 mins every morning. Now, they’re giant. If you don’t do a ton of walking, 10-15 mins of jumping rope will make a BIG difference, regardless of genetics.
GREAT TIP KYLE.
Is that “the magnum” there in 37?
Great article, as always.
Awesome list especially the lean face tip very true.
With Dandelion root how often do you take it and any tips for usage
Dandelion root 3 times per day. You will notice increased thirst and dry mouth, that’s how you know it’s working.
Do you have to drink more water when taking dandelion?
YES! You will get dry mouth very bad, if you don’t drink enough water you will be dehydrated and won’t be able to do much other than sleep.
Good post. When I started reading B&D 2 or 3 years ago I weighed 165lbs. Now I weigh in at 208lbs and am jacked. Lifting weights and eating steaks became an every day reality for me. since I started lifting I’ve tripled my income, have 10X more energy, higher confidence levels, and through the roof self esteem. I started taking test, shaving my arms, and being a selfish alpha resulting In a super loyal shy girl who makes my food and calls me daddy.
My experience of reading and applying this stuff has been game changer. Even tho when I take Dbol my cheeks get a little puffy I’m OK with that.
-TRUMP 2016!!
Hey Victor - in terms of nutrition
-are oats,pasta, tunas bought in brine any good?
Bought body of a spartan and the book about the wide grip neck press is really helping with my chest. However, no matter how much I train my arms they just wont get any bigger. Ive gained about 8-12 pounds within the last week trying to eat as much as possible, yet my arms just wont get any bigger. Im also on my first ostarine cycle. Any tips on how to get bigger arms/stronger arms?
What is your arm routine currently?
Triceps: Overhead extensions with dumbell, rope pushdowns, diamond pushups
Biceps: Cross chest hammer curls, regular hammer curls, biceps curls, all with dumbells
I was doing triceps one day and biceps the next but lately ive tried doing them both every day because I am trying to bulk and my arms are just so thin. I tried doing barbell curls after I got your book but I was incapable of doing 135 lbs like you said you should be able to start out doing. I also was unable to lift 135 lbs for the shoulder presses, though I was able to lift 135 for deadlifts and squats. I am underweight still, I was about 140-145 lbs a week or so ago, now I am about 154 lbs. I am 5 foot 10 or 11 tall.
Off course you are not able to barbell curl 135 lbs… that’s a pretty good feat of strength.
pretty sure he was talking about overhead pressing 135 lbs in time
how long you’ve been lifting for?
I’ve been lifting for about a month and I’ve been trying to gain weight for about a week. In body of a spartan at the bottom of page 71 it talks about breaking the 135 lb barrier, that this where to start, that it’s barely a warmup. Now I see that it’s meant for squats and deadlifts not every lift.
By the way victor I enjoy your work thank you hopefully I will be able to move past baby weights soon enough
Love these lists! So much content, and all important. You can basically implement all of the action steps for a week and make them a habit, then move on to the next item and basically reinvent yourself over 8-9 months.
Mr. Pride delivers once again. No bullshit advice. Greatly appreciated.
Just a quick heads up, though. It should be:
If you show up every day you are in the top 1%.
instead of:
If you show up every day you are in the top 99%.
This is really good real world bodybuilding advice brother Vic. Thank you for sharing this much needed applicable information.
Amazing article as per always, but tell me Vic, when are we going to be able to get another update on New World Ronin? It will be a day one purchase for me, just excited for it.
I agree with most of the things here except the part of running on an empty stomach. That tends to cause muscle loss. I’d suggest it with some BCAAs…or if that would be too expensive, a cup of 2-3 boiled eggs minus the yolk.
All in all a great post vic! :D
Hi Victor. One of the best and most brutal routines I have ever tried, is simply doing more work in the gym. Adding 5 reps to each exercise, each training for one month, than adding more weight. If you think that your todays gym session was brutal, in about 4 weeks you will do twice as much work. Works like magic but its very taxing on the body. No way I can train more than 3 times a week and still add workload. Body just starts to break down from the imune system down to tendoms. I exercise for about 15 years and taking test for last 2 years. So I think that if 3 workouts are not enough it hugely depends on routine. If you want to train each day you cannot train as hard. Training less frequent but harder can bring lot of benefits. What do you think Vic ? thanks
This is good. You can do 3 sessions per week if you add more work.
I’m a regular reader of B and D but never make comments. I’ve also been lifting religiously for 18 years, been an on and off again personal trainer for about 12 years, and had my stint with bodybuilding and power lifting and all the sterons and supplements required to do so.
People mistake the word “frequency” for thinking that they have to workout as many days as possible to see results. But if you only do two different workouts, alternating them every Monday - Wednesday - Friday then you’ll hit each body part every 3 to 4 days as opposed to hitting it once per week. And if you split the body into three workouts, and you do two of them per session, ie. Monday = A/B and Thursday = C/A.. etc; you hit each body part every 2, 3, or 6 days while only working out twice per week. Once I stopped working for sh#*head gyms that insist on people working out everyday I stopped training clients 5+ days per week and switched them to 2 or 3 days and their results are much better in strength, size, and fat loss. Also, the more often you hit a body part the fewer exercises you should do, and this enables you to focus more on one exercise rather than aiming to hit every piece of equipment in the gym.
Other than that I agree with everything in this post. Ostarine is sort of poop though. Branch chained amino acids and creatine before and during workouts elicits a huge hormonal response to exercise and over the counter SARM’s are still extremely questionable but sponsors and advertising I suppose.
Sorry. I don’t drink very often anymore. But I made up for it tonight and now I’m typing gibberish wherever I can.
Hello my name is David and I’m from Argentina.
8 days from now I’ll be living in a military base because I joined the army.
I’ll be there all week and get out on the weekends, the thing is that they give me the food that I’m going to eat and it’s “normal” people food to me as I follow the steak and eggs diet, and they gonna give me pasta and bread and stuff like that.
As you said on this post “On the other hand, if you count calories or intermittent fast you can eat anything you want.” do you think that if I skip breakfast and fast it will not get me fat ? I’m going to be running a lot too, so what do you think ?
Sorry if I wrote something on bad english or shit like that hahahah
Nothing wrong with big legs. I play hockey 5-6 times a week and my thighs are absolute tree trunks, looks phenomenal in shorts. Great article buddy.
Anticipating more fitness related supplements from you guys!
“If you ain’t hungry, you ain’t losing fat.”
!!!
So many people seem to think that if they’re hungry, it’s some kind of huge problem that needs to be rectified immediately.
“Oh dieting is so hard, I just feel hungry all the time!”
Yep, being hungry is the price you have to pay for overeating in the past. Deal with it, or stay fat. That’s really all there is to it. You don’t get to indulge in junk food for years, and then expect to get ripped with no negative repercussions. I mean, maybe you DO expect that, but you’ll be sorely disappointed when reality hits you in the face.
Hey Victor your “shirts” link is not working are you aware of this??
The links are working fine my friend, problem with your computer/wifi?
It’s working. When can we expect New t-shirts like the ones you have in your pictures in this article and others? Thanks!
What body fat percentage are you in the lean face photos?
Hi I just wanna say it´s so true about leg workout. I´ve been doing squats with barbell up to 200 lbs 3-4 times a week and my thighs and calves are naturally bigger than most my peers bodybuilders. In conclusion I torn 4 pairs of jeans on my crouch for unpleasantly massive and mishaped thighs. Today I had to wear my old suit trousers. So I´m definitely not going to train my legs that way. Thanks for your insight… :-)
squats with 200lbs! WOW you must have HUGE legs with that kind of strength!
The fat vs. Lean face is such a pronounced difference , on Victor it makes him go from an average good looking guy, to very handsome once his face gets shredded.
The fat versus lean face difference is remarkable. The fat picture of victors face I would not think as a sexual threat, but once your face got lean as fuck , then he became very handsome
Good work bro
Hey Vic,
I bought 30 days of discipline and body of a spartan a few months ago and I was wondering what your ab routine was. You mention doing 100 sit-ups a day for 30 days in 30 days of discipline, and in another article (not in body of a spartan) you mention using an ab roller for 3 sets of 15-20 only on ab day. So do you do both on ab day, or do you do 100 sit-ups everyday and use the ab roller every other day?
Actually, I don’t ever work abs. You can build them up one time via exercise, but they can only be revealed through diet. I haven’t routinely worked them in 4 years.
Thanks for the quick reply. So what your saying is I should build them up (abs already show) routinely like the way you say to do 100 sit-ups each day in 30 days of discipline, and once I can do that easily move on to using the ab roller once a week?
Hey Victor what’s your opinion of Wendler’s 5/3/1 routine?
What do you do to lean out your face ?
What I notice as well with machines. I train in rotating manner along the gyms in my area. There are places where machines suck and some places where they have great cable crossovers.
I will go to the weight room that has the equipments for what I plan to do for that day for example I would train at Brando’s today because I am planning to finish off my chest regimen with some crossover - pre-exhaust to dips- because they have the best and the smoothest cable crossover machine in the area
Hey Vic, did you find the medical source of your low testosterone? Was it hypogonadism or hypopituitarism?
I can’t find osta-red on their websites. Any idea why?