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You’ll begin today with another brief but intense HIIT session including classic calisthenic movements like burpees, jumping jacks, and high knees. If you haven’t done the latter two since high school gym class, you might be surprised at how hard they are—especially in the wake of yesterday’s leg workout.

Try to arrange your day so that you can hit the gym twice and follow the program exactly as it’s written—that’s part of the overall plan of the Rewired Trainer. However, if hitting the gym twice a day simply isn’t an option, it’s OK to perform the workout at home and substitute a comparable activity for the treadmill work. Run stairs for 5 minutes, run a nearby hill, jump rope, or just run in place at a brisk intensity.

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Vital Stats

Name: Brittany M. Turner
BodySpace: bmturner1908
Email: bmturner1908@gm…
Age: 25
Height: 4’10″
Weight: 105 lbs
Years Bodybuilding: 8 months
Education: Bachelor of Science in Film/Television/Digital Media, Minor certificate in Broadcast Journalism from Texas Christian University
Branch of Service: Army
Years of Service: 2
Tours of Duty: 1 year forward deployed in Korea, 3 months Fort Hood, TX
Rank: First Lieutenant (1LT)
MOS: 91A- Logistics
Awards, Medals, Decorations: Served 1 year as aide-de-camp for Brigadier General Peggy Combs, Air Assault qualified, German Armed Forces Proficiency badge
PT Test High Score: 300 (Extended scale 351)

The Army consists of millions of pieces of machinery and service members, just like a body consists of millions of cells, muscles, bones, and more. If one little thing breaks down, the mission can fail and lives can be put at risk. This is where logistics come in.

Logistics units supply the demands of the modern military, and Brittany, an aspiring bodybuilder and military logistician, has her body and professional duties squarely in line. Nothing can stop her!

QHow did you get started in bodybuilding?

I began bodybuilding after one of my First Sergeants saw me doing CrossFit and suggested I enter a local bodybuilding contest for service members in Korea. I initially refused the request, but after falling out of a battalion run and struggling in my new job as a Second Lieutenant platoon leader and not doing so well on my PT test—which was not like me—I was feeling depressed. I decided to accept the opportunity as a challenge to motivate myself back into shape.

Describe your duties in the military…

I am an ordnance officer, but I wear many hats and ultimately identify as a logistician. I generally manage and supervise my soldiers in anything logistical. For example, in Korea the soldiers in my platoon were mechanics, and we maintained equipment and delivered food, water, equipment, and personnel on certain missions. Now, my soldiers in Fort Hood provide shower laundry and clothing repair services for our instillation. I wear many different hats but generally have the capability of transporting mass amounts of goods, equipment, food, and personnel worldwide.

“I decided that I would spend four years of my life serving my country, which would also allow me some time to figure out what my passions really are.”

What inspired you to join the military?

I decided to join the military after my dad, who served 34 years in the Army, asked me one day in high school what my passions in life were and what I wanted to do with my future. I had no idea. He posed the Army as an option, but I respectfully declined. After a few days of thought, I changed my mind and decided to apply for the Army ROTC four-year scholarship. I decided that I would spend four years of my life serving my country, which would also allow me some time to figure out what my passions really were and what I could do in life to make a positive impact.

What is the fitness community like in South Korea?

The fitness community in Korea is amazing! I initially began my fitness journey in Korea through CrossFit, which was a friendly community with an overwhelming amount of support. As I transitioned into bodybuilding, I found the community and level of support was even greater. All service members were more than willing to share their wealth of knowledge and the local Korean nationals were extremely supportive. An elder Korean lady helped make my first bodybuilding competition suit in about three days. She was so encouraging and super helpful meeting me at late hours of the night to accommodate my work schedule and transportation limitations.

What was the hardest part of making the transition from civilian life to military life?

The hardest part of transitioning from civilian to military life was waking up early and running. I was never a long-distance runner before I joined the Army, but with the help of my leadership I quickly built my endurance and began maximizing my 2-mile runs. I started out running about a 20-minute 2-mile run but was able to shave 5 minutes off my time within a year.

They say that to learn to succeed you must know what it is to fail. How have hardships have helped you succeed in fitness?

I have been through so much in my life. People have tried to tear me down, physically harm me, and emotionally abuse me. There have been times when I have been alone and had to figure things out the hard way, but I was able to combat the negative by focusing that negative energy into my workouts. My dad always taught me to stay positive and to stay motivated even through the tough times. He often speaks about how failure makes you stronger, but you have to be resilient and find the strength within to keep going. Never quit!

How did your tour of duty in South Korea change the way you look at fitness?

As soon as I arrived in Korea, I went through a really bad breakup, which left me devastated. Soon after that breakup I decided to date again and that relationship ended soon after as well.

I was feeling alone in a new country trying to figure out a new job. It was tough, and my commander was hard to deal with and gave little guidance. The job was nonstop from day one and I had little time to breathe or deal with my life personally or professionally. It felt like my life was moving 1,000 miles a minute and nothing could go right.

After realizing my health and fitness were on the decline, I found myself in a depression. After falling out of a major run, I had my pass privileges taken away by my commander and I was upset that I would not be able to spend time with my loved one who I wanted to go visit. After that incident, I knew I had to prove my commander wrong and begin to hold myself to a higher standard. My failure motivated me to be better and to never accept defeat again.

“My failure motivated me to be better and to never accept defeat again.”

From that point on, I decided to always do my best and to never accept defeat. Quitting is never an option, and I will conquer all things with God by my side. Fitness provided me with an outline. It became a stress relief away from work and provided me an opportunity to set goals, achieve them, and progress to greater aspirations. I began to feel like I was always improving myself and always accomplishing something. I felt confident again.

Has your M.O.S. positioned you for a career after the military? What do you want to do when you are decommissioned?

Actually, as a logistician I feel like the sky is the limit. There is a need for logisticians in just about every unit in the Army. Every corporation outside of the Army and not only is this field a necessity, but leadership is a useful tool in landing a job anywhere. Without good leadership a business will fail. Management is so important, so I do believe that my experiences in the Army will afford me many opportunities upon my departure.

“Soldiers miss once-in-a-lifetime events; we sacrifice our time so American citizens can enjoy theirs.”

What is the biggest obstacle in leading a military lifestyle?

The biggest obstacle in leading a military lifestyle is time. Your time isn’t your own, it is the government’s. Whether the time is spent away from family and friends on a deployment or time at work helping your fellow comrades successfully complete a mission, you don’t dictate where you will be from day to day; the mission does. Often plans are changed or canceled, soldiers miss once-in-a-lifetime events; we sacrifice our time so American citizens can enjoy theirs. I sacrifice time to work out too. It’s just a small portion of the price we pay, but time is precious and I do believe it is a huge obstacle in the military lifestyle.

How important is it to you to perform well on a PT test?

It is very important to me, not necessarily because I want a high score, but because I want to demolish the challenge. I look at a PT test as physical challenge that I refuse to let defeat me. I will take every PT test and I will own it. I have the discipline to prepare myself and I will not settle, but hold myself accountable to exceed the standard. My score can always improve and I always strive to beat my last score. You can always run a little faster or push out just a couple more push-ups!

Personal sacrifice is an accepted part of the military. How does that translate to fitness for you?

In fitness we sacrifice constantly. We sacrifice lounging around to put in work. We sacrifice eating poorly to make healthy choices. We sacrifice sleeping in to get up and prep our meals. We sacrifice buying unnecessary alcohol to buy whole foods. We sacrifice Friday night pre-gaming (on occasion) to get in a good leg workout before the night really begins. It’s the little sacrifices —like time—in the military which translate into fitness, which leads to a longer, healthier life.

Gender roles are changing in the military. How does that affect you?

Gender roles changing in the military opens many doors. The opportunities are limitless, and if I decided one day I wanted to go to Ranger school or join the Infantry, I would eventually be able to do that. It is good to know that I have the opportunity to challenge myself to higher levels than what were previously accepted. I set my own destiny, not the limitations of the organization.

“It is good to know that I have the opportunity to challenge myself to higher levels than what were previously accepted.”

Do you think the Army needs to improve its overall level of physical fitness?

I do believe the Army needs better physical fitness. We need to look at the overall mission and exercises that actually improve physical fitness. The gym is not the enemy! We also need to support healthier eating habits within the Armed Forces, but every organization can improve in some way. These are just improvements that I can see at my level.

What workout plan worked best for you?

• Monday: Upper Body – 45 minutes, 5 sets, 15 reps
• Tuesday: Legs/Glutes – 45 minutes, 5 sets, 20 reps
• Wednesday: Back/Shoulders – 45 minutes, 5 sets, 15 reps
• Thursday: Legs/Plyometrics – 1 hour, 3 rounds, 2 minutes per exercise
• Friday: Cardio/Abs – 1 hour
• Saturday: Shoulders – 45 minutes, 5-6 sets, 20 reps
• Sunday: Rest

Which nutrition plan works best for you?

Which supplements give you the greatest gains?

What are your future bodybuilding plans?

My future bodybuilding plans are to earn my pro card and create a fitness brand, become a personal trainer, and lead military-style boot camps to encourage others to lead healthier lifestyles and to challenge themselves.

It would mean so much to me to earn my pro card. It is a goal that I have set for myself and I wont stop until it is achieved. I started bodybuilding to give myself an outlet, to combat depression and to prove to myself that I was better than my circumstances. I won’t forget why I started and I won’t stop until I have achieved what I set out to do for myself. I like to refer to myself as a conqueror. I have been able to conquer every obstacle placed in my way throughout my life. Any obstacle that stands in the way of me and my pro card will be demolished! I will conquer.

“There is no feeling like setting a goal and achieving it, but to set a goal and to go beyond what you set out to do is indescribable.”

How was your experience at the Texas Shredder? What did it teach you about yourself?

My experience at the Texas Shredder Classic was amazing. There is no feeling like setting a goal and achieving it, but to set a goal and to go beyond what you set out to do is indescribable. It taught me that, regardless of circumstance, anything is possible if you work hard and have faith that God will bless you with the desires of your heart.

I started my prep in Korea and throughout the duration of my prep I moved from Korea to the United States. I went on leave, I relocated, started a new job and had to get oriented to a new environment, but I stayed dedicated. I never quit and I remained persistent and resilient throughout.

Who are your favorite bodybuilders?

My favorite bodybuilders are Andrea Calhoun, who is an IFBB Figure Pro and just an amazing genuine and sincere person. She has personally given me advice in my fitness journey. Dana Linn Bailey has so much personality it’s irresistible and her work ethic is unmatched. Nicole Wilkins has an amazing story and just seems so down to earth and respectable. Phil Heath, well he’s a beast! Kai Greene is a favorite because of his dedication and willingness to motivate others. Last, but certainly not least, I am inspired by Ronnie Coleman and the all-time great Arnold Schwarzenegger. Enough said.

What one tip would you give other bodybuilders in the military?

I would tell other military bodybuilders to just be dedicated regardless of circumstance. If bodybuilding is what you want to do, then do it. Just be flexible. There will be times when you have your heart set on a show but then a deployment comes up or a training exercise ruins your diet. Don’t let that stop you. Continue to build, grow, gain, exercise, train, eat the best you can, drink water, and get back at it in your reset. The sky is the limit! Charge hard!

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For serious lifters, rest days can be the absolute worst. Rather than enjoying the day off, we spend the free hours in torture, just imagining what we could do if we could get our hands on some weight. When that mindset takes over, rest days go out the window. We’re in the gym hour after hour, day after day in order to feed our inner iron demon.

As epic and alpha as this mindset is, it doesn’t exactly make gains any easier to come by. In fact, going balls-out every single day can be severely detrimental. A lack of proper recovery and conditioning can lead to plateaus. Packing heavy weight on a dysfunctional movement can (and probably will) lead to injury. Your iron addiction can also affect your friends and family: Who wants to spend time with someone who is constantly stressed out about getting back into the gym?

“Your iron addiction can also affect your friends and family: Who wants to spend time with someone who constantly stresses out about getting back into the gym?”

So what’s a meathead to do when the will to lift is all-consuming? The best medicine I like to prescribe is sessions of what I call “Triple C: Crush Correctives and Conditioning.” Triple C is a method you can implement on your rest days to promote recovery, correct joint imbalances and dysfunction, increase aerobic capacity, and still feel like you’re getting work done. It’s the perfect off-day treat.

Triple C: The Why

As much as it might pain you to hear this, I’m going to tell you anyway: Your body needs more than just heavy weights to build muscle. Your body also needs more than barbells and dumbbells to be healthy and function optimally. Unless you’re taking a day or two off from lifting, your body probably isn’t working as well as it could be.

That’s why the strength and conditioning world places a lot of emphasis on recovery, corrective exercises, and proper conditioning. And that’s why I think you should take the time to work on all three concepts during your off days.

Recovery

As the saying goes, “It is not how hard you train, but how well you recover.” I agree completely. If you don’t recover well, you won’t experience the strength, power, or endurance adaptations you’re in the gym for. Without adequate recovery, your musculoskeletal system, nervous system, and immune system become compromised, which puts you at a greater risk for injury, illness, weak lifts, and, frankly, a piss-poor attitude. Your body’s hormonal response to the deterioration of these systems is often a state of sympathetic arousal—your “fight or flight” response—which floods your body with high levels of catabolic hormones like cortisol. None of these things are good for growth.

In allowing and promoting recovery, you will experience specific adaptation to imposed demands, which is called the SAID principle. As the body compensates for the stresses of training, it will adapt by growing stronger, gaining power, and increasing its work capacity. Without recovery time, though, your body won’t adapt and you’ll be left smashing your head against the wall in frustration.

That’s why I think it’s hyper important to take a break from lifting at least twice per week. You can still get into the gym—I’ll show you what those off days should look like—but you need to allow your body to recover from the stress of moving heavy weight.

Corrective Exercise

One of the things we’ll be working on during our recovery days is corrective exercise. This is important because most of us start working out, training, or bodybuilding without a thought about our joint dysfunctions or imbalances. We hit the iron hard and heavy, unconscious of how our body’s immobility may negatively affect our lifts and our health. What makes matters worse is what experts like Gray Cook, Brett Jones, and others have made careers out of correcting: performance built on top of dysfunction will inevitably result in injury and plateaus.

Like most concepts concerning training and performance enhancement, corrective exercise often becomes more complicated than it should be. Yes, we need to identify our dysfunctions and address them: If you’ve been doing squats without ever addressing your tight Achilles tendon, tight hips, and locked thoracic spine, you’re probably wondering why your knees hurt so bad and why you can’t get past 225. But, you don’t need to have a degree in biomechanics to perform corrective exercises.

“For most people, correcting dysfunction can be done by pre- and post-workout dynamic stretching, light bar work, and foam rolling.”

For most people, correcting dysfunction can be done by pre- and post-workout dynamic stretching, light bar work, and foam rolling. For example, instead of starting your squat day with a quad stretch or two, mobilize your hips. Or, if you’re sitting in front of the television or have some extra time to kill, try one of Kelly Starett’s daily mobility workouts.

Your muscles must work in proper synergistic fashion to obtain, maintain, and enhance performance. If you have a hitch (or five) in your giddy-up, there’s no way you’ll be able to do clean movements. Improper movements done over and over with escalating weight only lead to disaster. Corrective exercise can absolutely change the way your body performs and adapts to your workout program.

Conditioning

Along with corrective exercise, we’ll also be working on our conditioning. I know, I know: You’re no conditioning newb. You’ve been doing high-intensity interval training like a champ.

While interval training has a ton of research backing its efficacy, it’s not the best choice for a recovery day because it places such a high demand on the body. Moreover, interval training is actually more effective when the person doing it has already acquired an aerobic conditioning base.

Your ability level in all exercise will increase with improved conditioning.

Instead of hitting HIIT every day, we’ll dedicate a day or two to acquiring and utilizing aerobic conditioning. So, we’ll be spending more time on the treadmill, but the work will be much less intense. The steady-state conditioning protocol will help you build a solid base for conditioning so your body can recover faster and you can focus longer.

Triple C: The What And The How

The way we’re going to work on our conditioning and correctives is by using our off days to perform a circuit. This circuit will be built on one intense, compound movement interspersed with a lower-level corrective.

I have found the best exercises to use for the compound movements are variations of strongman lifts like carries, sled pushes and pulls, battling ropes, etc. These movements require the body to work as a total unit, but do not demand a high eccentric load. This spares your musculoskeletal system while promoting blood flow and nutrient transport.

“The best exercises to use for the compound movements are variations of strongman lifts like carries, sled pushes and pulls, battling ropes, etc.”

I’ve chosen corrective exercises that should help address a few common movement dysfunctions typically seen in an athletic/active population.

Here’s a basic template:

Choose one compound movement and perform that movement for a set amount of time, like 60-90 seconds. You’ll follow that compound movement with a corrective exercise for a set number of repetitions. You will repeat these two movements for a set duration like 20-30 minutes, or a set number of rounds (3-5).

Don’t smoke yourself out too early by trying to move as quickly as you can. Try to maintain the same pace throughout the workout. The goal for these sessions is to work toward aerobic capacity. Believe me, after 20-30 minutes you are going to feel finished.

Implement these Triple C workouts into your split 1-2 times per week.

Triple C Workouts

Correct Your Core

Without proper core function, all else is compromised because the pelvis becomes misaligned and the spine deviates from neutral. Here are some good ways to make your core more stable.

Get Your Glutes

Without the glutes working properly, hip function and stability is all out of whack. When your hips are off-kilter, your body will compensate by moving in whatever pattern is easiest, which is usually incorrect. These incorrect patterns often cause low back pain, a strained hamstring or groin, and less force production to the ground. Here’s how to strengthen those weaknesses.

Glute Bridge

Save Your Shoulders

Many athletes and active individuals have “long neck syndrome” because the shoulder girdle is depressed and downwardly rotated. This dropped position affects proper movement of the scapula and glenohumeral (shoulder) joint, placing irregular stresses on the shoulder and elbow. This usually causes instability, impingement, rotator cuff weakness or tears, labral issues, and elbow pain. The following is designed to help achieve proper positioning and movement patterns of shoulder girdle and joint.

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High-performance race cars rely on the finest equipment and premium grades of fuel to run fastest and most efficiently, so why would your internal bodily mechanisms be any different? You can fuel your muscle- and strength-building efforts with clean, high-quality foods and supplements to maximize your performance and gains, or gunk up your insides with greasy and sugary foods that add more to your waistline than your bench press.

After all, in bodybuilding, you truly are what you eat.

Bodybuilding nutrition has been refined over the years but the basic tenets remain. You should eat:

• 5-6 small meals per day spaced every few hours.

• Lean protein sources to build and repair muscle.

• Complex carbohydrates to fuel energy needs.

• Limited amounts of dietary fats, which also provide energy and are important for hormone production.

Eat fast-digesting protein and complex carbohydrates immediately post-workout.

This sounds pretty simple, but there are a few qualifications.

Complex carbs, which are nothing more than a bunch of sugar molecules chained together, take longer to digest than simple sugars, so they are ideal to consume throughout the day to control blood sugar levels. Simple sugars, on the other hand, quickly enter the blood and elevate blood sugar, spiking insulin release.

Insulin drives those circulating sugars into storage tanks—namely muscle tissue and the liver first to replace any that’s spent—but then the excess is driven into fat cells. Hence, controlling insulin by consuming complex carbs over simple ones is a smart way to watch your body fat.

However, sometimes you actually want to elevate your blood sugar and use the resulting insulin surge to your advantage. That’s where pre- and post-workout nutrition begin to differ from the bodybuilding diet you follow the rest of the day.

THE NAME OF THE GAME IS SPEED

Eat a heavy meal before your workout and it’ll still be in your stomach on that heavy set of squats—and you’ll know it. To ensure you’re not hungry halfway through your workout and you have plenty of fuel to train intensely, your best bet is to consume a small pre-workout meal 30-60 minutes before your training session. The nutrients will be readily available to fuel your workout and even give you a head start on the post-workout recovery process.

Though your metabolism and body type help determine the exact quantity of nutrients you may need from that meal, you want to consume a pre-workout meal that’s equal parts fast-digesting carbs and protein to fuel your muscles and jumpstart muscle growth and repair.

Starchy carbs like low-fiber white bagels and white rice and other fast-digesting sugars—sugar, dextrose, maltodextrin—combined with a fast-digesting protein like whey protein isolate or egg whites (if you prefer a whole food) are quickly digested. These carbs and sugars can be quickly accessed during a hard training session.

Similarly, immediately after your workout, your muscles are depleted of the stored form of carbohydrate—glycogen—which fuels muscular contraction during lifting. Especially after a long, heavy training session, your body tips toward a catabolic (muscle-wasting) state.

To refill these stores after your workout and jumpstart the growth process (anabolism), you again want to rely on fast-digesting carbs (and their effect on insulin). Here, too, a fast-digesting protein like whey protein isolate can quickly shuttle into muscle cells alongside the sugar molecules.

Research shows that after an intense weight workout you have a far greater need for dietary protein than sedentary individuals, and that fast-digesting proteins should be consumed before and after training for optimal gains¹.

For optimal gains, consume protein before and after every workout.

Research shows you may boost protein synthesis immediately after your training by consuming a fast-digesting protein to maximize muscle and strength building. Simply put, after a workout your muscles are hungry for nutrients and a fast-digesting high protein/high simple carb meal has been shown to deliver superior muscle-building results.

Many athletes choose to consume these nutrients in liquid form (via a protein shake) because it’s easy to prepare and the liquid can be digested more readily than solid foods. Research supports the notion that there’s a two-hour “anabolic window” following heavy resistance training¹.

Since a whole-food meal typically takes more time for preparation and even digestion, it’s not your best choice in terms of an immediate post-workout meal, but it can be consumed an hour after your training.

BASIC BEGINNER’S MASS-GAIN STACK

Your body responds quickly when undertaking a bodybuilding program, so providing the raw materials to help ensure an anabolic state is critical both pre- and post-workout.

Clearly, protein and a fast-digesting sugar to spike insulin should be on your list. In addition, there are a few other ergogenic supplements you should consider.

Whey Protein Isolate

Basic supplements work best: protein, creatine, glutamine, caffeine, and perhaps as a post-workout surprise, sugars like dextrose and maltodextrin.

Whey is the protein that’s separated from the curd in the production of cheese. The best forms of WPI have limited fat and lactose; production processes like cross-flow microfiltration have helped in its purification.

WPI is absorbed quickly and provides a steady stream of amino acids which enter the blood quickly. This has been shown to promote gains in lean mass and strength, reductions in body fat, and increased growth hormone release.

Creatine

Derived from meat sources, creatine has been shown to increase protein synthesis by pushing water into muscle cells (a signal for anabolism).

It’s also been shown to increase phosphocreatine stores in muscle tissue, which is used to make more ATP (energy) for longer and more intense workouts. Research also indicates that creatine elevates insulin-like growth factor, an anabolic hormone.

Glutamine

The predominant amino acid found in skeletal muscle, glutamine is abundant in the body and most protein-rich foods. Glutamine is important for protein synthesis and is often depleted during heavy exercise.

Research has shown that supplementation increases muscular growth by boosting muscle cell volume and growth hormone release, while also reducing catabolism.

Caffeine

A stimulant that helps mobilize fat cells into the bloodstream, caffeine has been shown to increase muscle strength and intensity when taken pre-workout.

Besides boosting metabolism, caffeine has also been shown to reduce post-workout muscle soreness by 50 percent.

Sugar

If you consume nutrients within 30 minutes of your workout, a fast-digesting carb will be quickly available for working muscles.

That same benefit applies post-workout too: Fast-digesting carbs like sugar, dextrose, and maltodextrin quickly spike insulin levels, helping drive all the other ingredients in your post-workout shake into glycogen-depleted muscle tissue.

Of note, since fructose (fruit sugar) must be broken down by the liver, it’s not as fast as these other sugars.

Clearly, research supports the notion that diet is as important to your mass-gaining goals as the training itself. While the workout provides the stimulus, how, what, and when you feed your body is crucial to your overall progress. You can maximize your gains by paying particular attention to what you consume, especially right before and immediately after your training.

REFERENCES

1. Wilson, J. and Wilson, G. Contemporary issues in protein requirements and consumption for resistance trained athletes. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2006.

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Look at a bodybuilder or powerlifter: Who doesn’t want to be powerful!? While you may have a general idea as to what that means—perhaps a gorilla’s beastlike strength, a monster truck, or maybe Benny deadlifting a grand—in fact power has a more precise definition. What does “power” mean and how do you develop it? Let’s take a look.

If you remember from your high school physics class—you did take that, right?—power is expressed as equal to force times distance over time (P=(F x D)/T). To further confuse you, force is created by a factor of acceleration times mass (F=MA). These equations prove that weight alone isn’t the only factor in play; so are speed (how fast you accelerate), distance, and time. Hence, training for power encompasses all these variables. To be clear, training for power isn’t the same as training for strength.

Any change in the force produced, distance moved, or the time it took you to move a given load will lead to an increase in power production. It’s not just about moving heavy weight!

Intelligent lifters looking for greater power must incorporate these 7 principles of power.

1 ABSOLUTE STRENGTH

Maximal strength might be the most obvious trait to develop for power development; clearly it’s the most beneficial and recognizable feature. Many lifters will recognize this concept in their maximal effort training used to develop absolute strength.

“Training to increase strength is distinct from training for size, though you’ll get some size benefits with strength training.”

We could define absolute strength as the maximum amount of force an athlete can apply with his body or the maximum amount of force that can be produced in a particular muscular contraction. This trait is primarily developed through training with loads that are above 90 percent of your one-rep max. The core concept behind absolute strength is motor unit recruitment.

Training to increase strength (typically with heavy loads for fewer reps) is distinct from training for size (moderate loads for moderate reps), though you’ll get some size benefits with strength training. The number of firing motor units is also affected by the load. While bodybuilders usually take sets to failure to exhaust a muscle, that’s not the case when training for strength. All these variables make strength training distinct and allow you to tailor your training efforts to focus on this building absolute strength.

2 DYNAMIC STRENGTH

“Intensities are best programmed in the 40-60 percent range, so these loads are relatively light.”

This might be better described as speed strength, learning to move heavy weights quickly. Dynamic refers to the speed at which force can be produced, rather than sheer force alone. Some athletic movements (gymnastics, shot put, jumping, etc.) require this type of speed, as do some moves in the weight room (Olympic weightlifting, box jumps).

Speed strength trains rate of force development and could be the most important athletic trait to consider. I In the previous section we were concerned with the overall number of motor units recruited, now we are trying to recruit those motor units earlier and faster.

Dynamic strength is best developed with moderate loads moved at a maximum velocity. Remember that power—or force—is the product of mass (absolute strength) and velocity (speed strength); these are the two pillars your development must rest on. Absolute strength is trained with heavy slow-moving loads; speed strength is trained with light or moderate loads moved fast. That’s a critical difference.

Intensities are best programmed in the 40-60 percent range, so these loads are relatively light. Still, repetitions should still be kept low, usually in the 2-3 rep range. To increase volume, add more sets rather than adding reps (12 sets of 3 instead of 4 sets of 9). Move these loads as fast as you can. If you lift 500 pounds and are training with 250 pounds, apply your full throttle 500 pounds to that bar and rock it.

3 PLYOMETRICS

While plyometrics are reliant on speed strength, a primary principle that differentiates them from dynamic effort methods is the emphasis on the stretch-shortening cycle at the beginning of each rep. Think of your muscles as a rubber band. Before you can shoot that rubber band at someone, you first have to stretch it. While not a perfect analogy, lengthening muscles deep into an eccentric motion stores potential elastic energy. This is why your first rep on dumbbell bench presses is often the most difficult: You start with the weight in the down position, and that first rep has no elastic energy built up. To apply power in plyometrics, the joint angle is then reversed as quickly as possible.

Frequently, focus is given to the eccentric (negative, or lowering) phase of the movement. The force the muscle produces depends on the speed of shortening or lengthening and the absolute length of the muscles at any instant in time. In eccentric exercise, force increases as the velocity of stretch increases.

The faster the transition from eccentric to concentric occurs, the greater the muscular contraction produced and the greater overall power. Jumps, clapping push-ups, bounds, throws, and hops are all effective plyometric movements to train you to move quickly.

“If you want to add some “go” to your “show” include plyo in your training.”

Bodybuilders may lift slowly to maximize hypertrophy, but for athletes or people seeking power development, lifting slowly isn’t going to cut it. If you want to add some “go” to your “show” include plyo in your training. It will go a long way to keeping those growing muscles fast and athletic.

The general consensus is that movements which require higher skill and neurological activity be done early in your training session. While some plyo or Olympic lifts won’t prevent you from making your strength or hypertrophy gains—if anything, they’ll help—fatiguing motor units prior to explosive training may hinder your ability to improve power production. My regular recommendation for strength athletes is to include 1-2 plyometric movements immediately after warm-ups, just prior to the performance of major strength movements. This will not only further warm-up goals, but will also improve nerve-muscle reactions and your ability to produce force in your primary strength movement. Select plyometrics movements that are applicable to that training day, such as depth jumps for squat day, throws for pressing, etc.

4 DEAD-STOP TRAINING

While there are times you want to change direction as fast as possible at the bottom of a rep (see plyometrics above), dead-stop training does the exact opposite. To completely eliminate the elastic energy created by the stretch reflex, come to a complete stop at the bottom of the rep. This is precisely how deadlifts are done when the bar settles on the ground at the start of each rep. That makes the beginning of the movement harder than it would’ve been. If the bottom of the range of motion is a weak area—such as the bottom of a bench press when the bar is just off your chest—then you’ll want to focus on strengthening this portion of the lift, and that’s what you can do with dead-stop training.

“If the bottom of the range of motion is a weak area, then you’ll want to focus on strengthening this portion of the lift, and that’s what you can do with dead-stop training.”

Applied to the bench press, the weight starts at chest level instead of being lowered from the top. You’ll need to be in the power rack for this movement. Set the pins so the bar will be just above the chest. Starting from the bottom eliminates some of that stretch reflex, helping you get significantly stronger in the bottom position. You can adjust the height of the pins to work through sticking points or to progressively bring down a heavier weight (this is great for squats, too).

You’ll want to be using the power rack (some Smith machines allow you to set the bottom of the range of motion, too) on these movements so a weight can settle between reps. Alternatively, holding the bottom position for a long count between reps also reduces the stretch reflex.

5 ACCOMMODATING RESISTANCE

As you normally perform your movement, the bar speed increases; you’re typically a little stronger over the middle of the rep. This makes training a little one-dimensional. Adding bands and chains to the bar creates contrasting, variable resistance; this helps you overcome accommodation.

“Adding bands and chains to the bar creates contrasting, variable resistance; this helps you overcome accommodation.”

Bands and chains work in a similar way. At the bottom of the movement the load is lighter—the bands aren’t stretched or the chains are settled on the floor. As you drive through the concentric phase of the lift, they increase the resistance so the weight becomes heavier toward the top. This increased weight strengthens your lockout and teaches you to accelerate. Bands and chains can be used for both heavy and light work.

Use 5/8-inch chains folded in half and attached to a 1/4-inch leader chain that’s suspended from the bar. Adjust the leader so that a link or two touches the floor at the top of the movement. For most people 1-2 chains are sufficient.

Bands come in two sizes. Short bands are ideal for benches and deadlifts, while long bands can be used for anything. Both come in a range of resistances, from 30 to more than 200 pounds. Make sure the bands are securely anchored, and—with long bands—play with the setup until you have adequate tension both at the bottom and top. There should be no slack in the bands at any time.

6 STABILITY

The more stable you are, the more power you’ll be able to express.

There was a wave of popularity for a while for training in an unstable environment, such as on a ball or on one leg, though thankfully it’s falling out of practice. While there are some applications for such techniques, they do little to help you become more powerful. Such techniques are great for core building but come at the expense of power, strength and size development. Moving heavy loads requires you to be stabilized, and any energy “leak” in your system, lack of tightness in any area, or any instability will radically decrease the amount of force you’re able to transmit to the bar.

Imagine your bench press. Many trainees can be seen lying back on an exercise ball, a habit that’s about as effective as firing a cannon out of a canoe. Did you know that many strong powerlifters get sore lats from bench pressing? That is how tight they are. From the grip on the bar, to retracted shoulder blades, through the hips, and down the legs that are driving down into the floor, the entire system is set up to provide stability to the load being moved.

Whatever the lift is, you should be solid as a rock. You’ll have whatever part of you is touching the floor to push against, maybe a bench, even a belt, but much of your stability will have to come from you being properly positioned and keeping muscles tight.

7 APPLICATION OF SKILL + TECHNIQUE

Lifting is a skill, though many don’t see it that way. Through training hard, I squatted 400 pounds. Good programming brought me to 500. However, my subsequent jumps to 600 and then 700 would’ve been impossible without a heavy emphasis on technique. I frequently compare lifting skills to the golf swing. Mark Bell (an 800-plus bencher) can be witnessed carefully setting up and doing reps with the empty bar; to understand this watch Phil Mickelson take a few practice swings before teeing off. Both athletes are practicing the skill involved with their sport.

Ultimately, there isn’t an easy, practical training tip to give here like in the other six sections. Despite that, this may be the most valuable advice in the whole piece. I’m constantly amazed at people who make a living in this industry who know little about lifting.

Be a student, absorb knowledge, and study. High-level power will be impossible without continuous learning. How does bar position affect torso angle in the squat? Should the bar path in a bench press move in an arc or a straight line? Why are my knees caving in? These simple questions and answers are absolutely vital to good technique. Ensuring you know the answers will go a long way to increasing your power output.

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Vital Stats

Name: Kristina Olson
Email: kofit@icloud.com
Location: San Diego, CA
Age: 31
Height: 5’4″
Weight: 115 lbs
Years Bodybuilding: 1

QHow did your fitness
journey begin?

I was born and raised in San Diego, California. I grew up a tomboy playing in the dirt, riding bikes, throwing the ball around, and hanging on the monkey bars with my two younger sisters and baby brother. My dad has always been active and encouraged his children to participate in athletics and challenging extracurricular activities.

As a teen, I played junior Olympic softball and trained on Christmas Day with my dad while the rest of the family was at the Christmas party. In seventh grade, my dad would drive me to practice an hour away from our house two nights per week from 6-9 p.m. on school nights. I trained with Olympic batting and pitching coaches at high intensities. If I do something, I put my heart into it.

I developed chondromalacia patella at age 13 and rotator cuff tendinitis at age 14 from playing at a high level at such a young age. I underwent physical therapy for my injuries and received a cortisone shot in my shoulder after an MRI determined that my rotator cuff wasn’t torn. I played for two years after my injuries and eventually decided to walk away from the sport. The benefits of playing didn’t outweigh the cost.

At age 18, I started to pursue a career in the music industry. While working in the music business as the singing voice for Barbie, songwriter for films “Beastly” and “One For The Money,” and lead singer of the band Kristina and The Dolls, I met Heather Clay. Heather is a wonderful woman with an amazing physique and a huge heart. I spent lots of time in the gym to stay in shape for the music industry.

I lifted light weight and did lots of cardio. I was soft, skinny fit, and weighed 103-107 pounds. Heather tried to get me to compete, but I was too invested in music to devote the energy needed to compete.

In 2011, at age 28, I decided to exit the music industry and go back to school full time at the University of California, San Diego, for my bachelor of science in earth science. The academic lifestyle doesn’t lend itself to health, regular sleeping patterns, and exercise. I ate junk food daily and drank sugar-filled energy drinks like they were going out of style. My 29-year-old body felt the effects and showed changes.

I asked my husband to help me find a program on Bodybuilding.com that worked for me and he introduced me to Jamie Eason’s LiveFit program to get me started. When I started to get in better shape, people at the gym asked if I was competing. I gave it thought and decided to reach out to Heather who introduced me to my coaches Ryan Bentson and IFBB pro bikini competitor Taylor Matheny Bentson from Team Zero Gravity. Since then, I’ve fallen in love with the sport.

What fitness regimen delivered the best results?

Lately, I’ve been lifting heavy with 4-12 reps and love the results. For cardio, I walk on a treadmill at a minimum incline for 30-45 minutes post-workout. This workout was designed to build my legs. I don’t train abs or obliques. My diet and exercises create the strength and look of my abs and obliques. As a bikini competitor, I don’t train chest on a regular basis.

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What nutrition plan fueled your body?

I’m on a carb cycle that was designed by my coach Ryan Bentson from Zero Gravity Fitness. It’s designed specifically for my body based on my metabolism and the way my body responds to workouts, cardio, and carbs.

What supplements gave you an edge?

“I’m a driven dreamer. When I put my mind to something, I do it.”

How did your passion for fitness emerge?

I’ve always enjoyed an active lifestyle, but it wasn’t until I tried Jamie Eason’s program that I stepped into the gym to hit the iron. Now I absolutely love training hard and lifting heavy. I enjoy seeing the changes in my body. It drives me to push harder.

What or who motivates you to live healthy?

I’m a driven dreamer. When I put my mind to something, I do it. I’m fortunate to have family members who stand by my choice to live healthy. The ultimate goal is to live a long, full, and healthy life with passion and enthusiasm.

Where did you go for inspiration?

When I have lazy days, I ask what else I would be doing with my time and what I would use my strength for outside the gym.

What are your future fitness plans?

I would love to win an IFBB pro card and compete at that level. It’s a dream to compete at the Olympia and Arnold Classic. I’m currently nationally qualified and will work to make those dreams a reality. I plan to compete in the Junior USA Championships in South Carolina in May 2014.

“I did it because I wanted to. Anything is possible with
hard work!”

What is the most important fitness tip?

When I first thought about competing, I thought I was crazy. I questioned myself and my abilities. I felt silly for considering it and thought I couldn’t win because there are many amazing women who compete. Despite these thoughts, I did it because I wanted to. Anything is possible with hard work!

Who is your favorite fitness competitor?

Erin Stern trains hard and radiates positivity. Her story proves that when one door closes another opens. It takes strength to be honest with yourself and look at your abilities in an objective manner. Erin knows her strengths and weaknesses. She didn’t let not qualifying for the Olympics bring her down. She found passion elsewhere and went for it.

How did Bodybuilding.com help you reach your goals?

Bodybuilding.com is an amazing resource. I used Jamie Eason’s LiveFit Trainer, Tom Fuller’s HRT: Animal Hellraiser Trainer, and Jim Stoppani’s Shortcut to Shred. When I initially started thinking about competing, I read Bodybuilding.com articles about bikini competitors and competitions. I looked at competition results, photos, and videos to work on my posing.

Kristina’s Top 5 Gym Tracks

1. “The Fire” by The Roots
2. “Discipline” by Nine Inch Nails
3. “Survival” by Eminem
4. “Work B**ch” by Britney Spears
5. “Starts With One” by Shiny Toy Guns

Competition History

• 2013 NPC Southern California Championships – 4th Place Bikini C Class
• 2013 NPC Los Angeles Championships Bikini – 3rd Place C Class
• 2013 NPC Irongames Bodybuilding championships – 1st Place Bikini C Class
• 2013 NPC Border States Classic – 1st Place Bikini C Class
• 2013 NPC Pacific USA’s Bikini – 1st Place C Class

Thanks

• To my husband, Nathan, for supporting and believing in me.
• To my sister, Kimberly, for being a great gym buddy and for inspiring me.
• To my coaches Ryan Bentson and IFBB Bikini Pro Taylor Matheny Bentson from Zero Gravity Fitness for taking me on, believing in me, and helping me with my diet, training, and posing.
• To Heather Clay for being inspirational and supportive.
• To Jon Lindsay and everyone at MuscleContest for throwing fantastic fitness events.
• To Eric Williams and Ron Avidan for great photos.

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Vital Stats

Name: Jonny Bowden
Website: jonnybowden.com

Garcinia cambogia, also known as the Malabar tamarind, is a small, sweet tropical tree fruit shaped like a pumpkin. In the late 1960s, scientists discovered an acid in the fruit somewhat similar to the citric acid found in fruits like oranges and lemons.

That acid—called hydroxycitric acid, or HCA—has ridden a rollercoaster ride of popularity over the last 20 years. It is alternately touted as a miracle weight loss supplement and derided as effective only in rats.

So where is the ride at now? Since late 2012, HCA has taken a steady ascent, and people around the world chat about “garcinia” like that’s the name of their new personal trainer. (For the record, garcinia cambogia, hydroxycitic acid, and HCA all refer to the same thing. I’ll stick primarily to HCA here to keep it simple). It can feel like anyone with even a passing interest in supplements has gotten asked by a small army of friends, loved ones, and cab drivers: “Is garcinia legit?”

So … is it? Knowing what I know now, this question sounds a little like asking, “Is a hammer legit?” It depends on the hammer and the person swinging it, right? So here’s the deal: HCA isn’t a miracle; it’s a tool. Anyone who has ever suffered the indignity of smashing their finger with a hammer can attest that tools only work when you know what to do with them and then follow through on that knowledge.

Luckily, in recent years we’ve learned a lot about not only what HCA supplements do in the body, but also how you can make the most of them. Here’s what you need to know about this blockbuster fat-loss supplement.

HCA’s Early Promise

HCA got its first taste of widespread popularity back in the 90s, after a number of studies concluded that it caused weight loss in animals. One thing we know is that HCA blocks a portion of an enzyme called citrate lyase, which helps turn sugars and starches into fat.

Block that enzyme, and carbohydrates get diverted into energy production rather than accumulating as body fat. Then, when you burn fat through effective training, there’s less to replace it, and your overall fat level goes down.

HCA also seems to have an ability to help suppress the appetite, but not in the same way as a stimulant-based diet pill. Rather, it increases the level of satiety—satisfaction you receive from food—making it easier to eat less. The mechanism by which it achieves this isn’t entirely clear yet. The late great nutritionist Shari Lieberman, suggested that a metabolic change brought on by HCA may send an appetite-suppressing signal to the brain via the amino acid 5-hydroxytryptophan, which is a direct precursor to the so-called “happy hormone,” serotonin. Given that subsequent studies have shown elevated serotonin levels in subjects who took HCA supplements, she was likely on to something.

“HCA increases the level of satiety—satisfaction you receive from food—making it easier to eat less.”

With these two impressive bullet points in its favor, HCA seemed on the verge of the big time, but the buzz faded quickly after a large study published in 1998 in the “Journal of the American Medical Association” concluded that it had “no effect” on human subjects.¹

End of the line, right? Not quite. Subsequent research has produced some very different conclusions and helped convince me, among many other previously skeptical people, that HCA has real potential as a weight-loss supplement.

It’s All About How You Take It

A few years after the lackluster results in the JAMA study, I had the opportunity to talk about HCA with Harry Preuss, a researcher and pathologist at Georgetown University, who saw enough to like about HCA to keep researching it after its popularity had waned. Preuss, a past president of the American College of Nutrition, told me he thought the previous studies were discouraging but not conclusive.

He decided to take a closer look. “You have to take the right dose of the right product, and you have to take it properly,” he told me. “In the JAMA study, they used whatever the dose was at the time, and they never even mentioned the type of citrate they used. You have to give enough so that it reaches the sites in the body that it needs to reach.” In recent years, Dr. Preuss has continued to hammer on the idea that maximizing bioavailability with HCA is crucial for its success. Fail to prioritize it, and you set yourself—or your study, in the JAMA’s case—to fail.

It’s an old story. Vitamin studies are often done by people who use the wrong dose or the wrong form, and then seem almost gleeful when they’re able to proclaim that the supplements “don’t work.” Prejudice confirmed; case closed.

“You have to take the right dose of the right product, and you have to take it properly.”

Dr. Preuss, who went on to lead the most promising human studies into HCA, points out that there are three different forms of hydroxycitrates: those which are blended with calcium, potassium, or magnesium salts. The reason to add these salts is to decrease the degradation of free HCA into HCA lactone, an inactive form of the compound. These salts, which are added at a 1-to-1 or higher ratio in most commercial HCA supplements, also help your body more easily absorb the hydroxycitrate.

“If you have almost a pure calcium hydroxycitrate, it’s just not going to work,” he told me. He said he prefers hydroxycitrate that is bound to both calcium and potassium; he says the bond dramatically increases the absorption and effectiveness of HCA.

Dr. Preuss and his colleagues put this premise to the test in a study where they followed 30 healthy but overweight people ages 21-50 over an 8-week period.² All of the subjects consumed a diet of 2,000 calories per day and walked for half an hour five days per week. One group was given Super CitriMax, a patented form of HCA bound with both calcium and potassium. The other group was given a placebo. At the end of the study, the placebo group had lost an average of three pounds, but the HCA group had lost an average of 12 pounds—a whopping 400 percent more weight. Their average BMI fell by 6.3 percent; in the placebo group, it fell only 1.7 percent.

To top it off, the HCA group experienced an 18 percent drop in triglycerides and, interestingly, an almost double boost in serotonin levels compared to the placebo group. Higher serotonin levels are associated with fewer cravings, as well as a greater sense of calm. In a second similar study, Preuss and his colleagues tested 60 people, and this time, the HCA group lost an average of 10.5 pounds compared to the placebo group, which lost an average of 3.5 pounds.³

“Perhaps the most remarkable result was in appetite control,” Preuss says of the second study. “The placebo group had no change, but the HCA group had a 16 percent reduction in the amount of food they ate per meal!”

The Right Way to Supplement With HCA

It’s far too easy to view supplements purely from the perspective of either “I take it” or “I don’t take it.” With some supplements, that’s precise enough to see an effect. But the lesson here is that how you take HCA matters. As such, Preuss has taken the new wave of HCA popularity as an opportunity to remind us all about how to get the most out of this supplement, most recently in a paper he co-authored for the Alliance for Natural Health in 2013 titled “Garcinia Cambogia: How to Optimize its Effects.”⁴

Here are Preuss’ recommendations:

Note that he says “near” 1.5 g three times daily. Why not exactly 1.5? Given that HCA supplements come in a range of potencies and mixtures, it can be hard to be exact. Aim for the 1.5 g benchmark, but don’t be obsessive.

Why on an empty stomach? It takes advantage of the appetite-curbing effect of the supplement, but even more important, HCA needs some space to work its magic.

“In the presence of food, the hydroxycitrate salt can bind to some of the components in the meal and be inactivated,” Preuss writes. “This is called the ‘food effect’ and can seriously reduce the bioavailability of a number of supplements, not just HCA.”

Follow these guidelines, and HCA can be an addition to your arsenal. Side effects are rare at the kind of reasonable doses that Preuss recommends, and since it’s not a stimulant, you don’t need to worry about it affecting your sleep or mood. If you’re looking to control your weight and are committed to eating right and working out, don’t be afraid to add this popular supplement into the mix!

References

1. Heymsfield SB, et al. Garcinia cambogia (hydroxycitric acid) as a potential antiobesity agent: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 1998 Nov 11;280(18):1596-600.
2. Preuss HG, et al. Efficacy of a novel, natural extract of (-)-hydroxycitric acid (HCA-SX) and a combination of HCA-SX, niacin-bound chromium and Gymnema sylvestre extract in weight management in human volunteers: a pilot study. Nutrition Research. 2004 Jan; 24(1); 45-58.
3. Preuss, HG, et al., Effects of a natural extract of (-)-hydroxycitric acid (CHA-SX) and a combination of HCA-SX plus niacin-bound chromium and Gymnema sylvestre extract on weight loss. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2004 May; 6(3): 171-80.
4. Preuss, HG and Dallas Clouatre. Garcinia cambogia: How to optimize its effects. Available from: http://www.anh-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/garcinia-cambogia2.pdf

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My goal for day 14, which is right around the corner, is to be under 220 pounds. I’ve got a lot of work to do in the next few days, and I don’t like to leave anything to chance. I might have to pick up a little extra cardio. We’ll see how things shake out.

Do you have a goal for the half-way point of this program? What is it? Do you think you’re on track to get there? If you’re not quite where you want to be, what are your plans to get there? You do what you have to do on this program; there are no excuses.

Give yourself every advantage. About 20 minutes before I hit the gym, I usually mix BCAAs with an actual pre-workout supplement. The BCAAs help me with endurance and help me feel less sore. The pre-workout supplement will provide me with energy and focus as I get into the gym.

The video you’re about to watch is very near to my heart. It’s marriage license time!

30 Days Out
Watch The Video – 07:26

Exercise Tip

Your shoulders are involved in almost every single movement you do: from the bench press to front squats. If they’re not healthy, then you’re going to wind up injured. Trust me on this. I would usually tell you to train through a little pain, but injuring your shoulder is like hitting a brick wall.

Before our shoulder work today, make sure you’re warming up well. The clean and press is a tough, heavy movement, so give your shoulders time to get accustomed to some weight before you try lifting as much as you can. Do some sets with lighter weight, or even grab some dumbbells and do some front and lateral raises before you jump on the barbell.

Success Tip

If you’re going to make health and fitness a lifestyle, you need a good support system. My fiancee is an ex-competitor so she knows the lifestyle and she supports what I do. We help each other.

I think that, if you’re in a relationship, you need someone who will lift you up when you’re going through the rigors of dieting. You need someone who makes healthy choices with you, not someone who might make those healthy decisions harder.

Cardio

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I worked my ass off yesterday. I’m glad I did, too, because I’m at a point where I have to lose a pound per day to accomplish my overall goal. That means each and every day has to be nearly perfect, which you can’t really accomplish with guesswork.

It’s a good idea to keep a journal (or a video log) of how you’re feeling and looking each day. By documenting your progress, hurdles, hiccups, and small successes, you’ll be able to look back and see how far you’ve come. Having a record of your 30-day shred will also help you know what to expect and how to improve for the next time you want to get dialed in.

In today’s video, you’ll see me try to eat healthy at a Yankees game. It’s a mission I think I handled successfully. Enjoy the ballgame and today’s arms, abs, and calves workout!

30 Days Out
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Success Tip

For me, rest days are a challenge because I like to be active, but they’re a great opportunity to catch up on work so you can get any unfinished projects done. You can also get a lot of cooking done.

Check out healthy cookbooks or recipes on Bodybuilding.com for ways to spice up your food without adding a whole bunch of calories.

It’s also a good call to take a moment on these rest days to reflect on the past couple of weeks and think about the work you have left to do!

Cardio

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No high-intensity cardio today! Your assignment—aside from James Grage’s weekly challenge, if you haven’t already accomplished it—is to power through this back workout.

If you’ve never done dropsets on a machine or cable row before, expect to be sore afterward in some deep and unexpecated places. But don’t let your form suffer! Keep your torso strong and keep pulling those shoulder blades back.

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This week, you’ve been turning up the explosive athleticism and fat-burning of the Rewired Trainer with some high-intensity interval work in the morning. Today, you’ll follow up your third session of old-school calisthenics with a grinding shoulder, ab, and calf workout featuring a new movement: the landmine 180.

Trainers and athletes and athletes have different names for this movement, but the best ones all agree about one thing: It must be difficult in order to be effective. That means you need to put some weight in the bar.

Try to work up to a 45-pound plate for men, and at least a 25 for women. You may not be able to move this weight as quickly as a smaller weight, but that’s OK. Once you can move a big weight around without getting sloppy, you’ll have built the core strength of a true athlete!

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The Rewired Trainer is all about making fitness work seamlessly with your life. You work out during the work week, and you rest during the weekend. Use this time as an opportunity to catch up on life and engage in the best kind of “active rest,” whatever that means for you.

Maybe it’s a hike with your friends, a bike ride to the library with your family, or tug-of-war with your dog. Maybe just walk to the store instead of driving. What you do is up to you. Just make sure you enjoy it!

There’s another advantage to having both Saturday and Sunday free: You can use one of the days to make up a missed workout from earlier in the week. Maybe you were busy, had to travel, or an emergency came up. This is your pass—no questions asked!

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Nothing delivers a bigger kick in the pants before a workout than caffeine. It’s no wonder that caffeinated pills and drinks are the most common supplement category among bodybuilders, athletes, and gym-goers. Study after study has shown that caffeine can increase alertness, sharpen focus, improve mood, boost pain tolerance, help burn fat, and help athletes do more work for longer periods in the gym and in sport.

Today, 90 percent of North American drink or supplement with caffeine regularly.

In fact, caffeine works so well that, up until 2004, its use was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. I know what you’re thinking: “Ban caffeine? Yeah right. Everybody uses it!” And that was basically the line of thinking that ended the ban, since a “threshold level” between social use and abuse couldn’t effectively be established. Since then, urine samples have shown that more than 75 percent of elite athletes routinely use caffeine during competition.

That says nothing of its use among non-athletes at home, at work, or, in some cases, pretty much all the time. Today, 90 percent of North Americans regularly use this slightly bitter psychoactive stimulant in one form or another, and at least 80 percent of us do so daily.

Whether you take it or not, do you know what caffeine is, or what it does? Here’s what the science says about how the world’s most popular stimulant can help your training.

Where does caffeine come from?

In nature, caffeine is a potent insecticide which plants produce to help kill off certain pests—but not all insects, interestingly. Caffeine actually offers memory enhancement and a healthy buzz to pollinating insects such as bees.

Like chocolate and pomegranate, which I discussed in two previous articles, caffeine seems to have been consumed since the earliest days of recorded human history. As such, it has multiple tales of origin, including a Chinese legend in which the ancient emperor Shennong accidentally discovered tea in 3000 BC, after certain leaves fell in a container of boiling water.

“Caffeine actually offers memory enhancement and a healthy buzz to pollinating insects such as bees.”

Whether this is true or not, people seem to have been drinking caffeinated beverages for about as far back as we can measure, and considering them indispensable for nearly as long. The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu—the “teach a man to fish” guy—famously called tea the “elixir of life” back around the 6th century B.C.

Coffee has a more finite history, dating back to Arabic culture in the 14th and 15th centuries, where it was the subject of both loyalty and controversy as a popular way to stay awake during evening prayers. From there, it didn’t take long to travel the trade routes to Europe, alongside tea and, soon afterward, drinkable chocolate.

More recently, caffeine was first isolated in the early 1800s by German chemists, and shortly afterward by their French counterparts. This is where its name comes from, originating from the German word Kaffee and the French caf?, both of which refer to coffee.

Appropriately, most of the caffeine we consume today is extracted from plants during the process of decaffeinating either coffee or tea.

How does it affect performance?

Caffeine works on the central nervous system by promoting spinal cord excitability and muscle fiber recruitment, while decreasing perceptions of fatigue and muscle pain. It’s been demonstrated to improve physical performance in all manner of sports while also delaying mental fatigue.

Caffeine can improve performance in a variety of sports and delay fatigue.

Among the benefits it has been shown to provide are:

• Endurance athletes improved performance by an average of 3.3 percent (some reported up to 17 percent increases).

• Strength and power sports performance improved up to 20 percent.

• Sprinters improved performance on average by 6.5 percent.

• Weightlifters improved performance on average by 9.5 percent.

• Rate of perceived exertion (fatigue) is decreased by 6 percent on average.

Are there any side effects?

Taking too much caffeine can contribute to anxiety, as most of us discovered in our initial youthful dalliances. However, there are several other considerations you should be aware of.

Hydration

Caffeine has been shown to have a slight diuretic effect, which is thought to lead to dehydration, but the effect is marginal. Caffeinated beverages have been shown to hydrate just as well as non-caffeinated beverages.⁶ Still, it’s a good idea to increase your consumption of liquids when using caffeine, especially if you train in a hot and humid environment.

Addiction

Caffeine is addictive, and withdrawal can occur in habitual consumers of more than 200 mg per day. Symptoms can last for 2-9 days, and include headaches, anxiety, depression, and cravings. You can alleviate these side effects by weaning off the dosage until the desired amount is reached.

If you’re extremely sensitive to caffeine, limit your overall consumption and don’t use it before you hit the hay.

Sleep

Some of us metabolize caffeine quickly, while others are slow metabolizers. How dramatically it affects you, and for how long, will vary person by person. If you’re extremely sensitive to caffeine or are prone to anxiety, limit your consumption. This may sound obvious, but it’s surprising how many people wonder why they aren’t sleeping well while the answer is right in front of them.

What are the most popular sources?

Studies show that whether you drink your caffeine or take it as a pill makes little difference on athletic performance.¹ However, there are some additional health benefits when taking it from natural sources. Here are the most common ways of ingesting caffeine, their advantages and limitations.

Coffee

Drip coffee: 60-180 mg per 6 oz.
Espresso: 70-80 mg per 1.5 oz.
Decaf: 2-5 mg per 6 oz.

This common delivery system for caffeine is loaded with antioxidants that may help lessen the oxidative damage muscles experience from lifting weights.

One significant drawback is that levels vary widely depending on preparation methods and types of beans.

Canned/bottled coffee drinks

70-180 mg per 8 oz.

Widely available, usually with some protein added in the form of milk, though most have added sugars as well. Also difficult to know exactly how much caffeine you get.

Tea

40-80 mg per 5 oz.

Tea is loaded with antioxidants, notably epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, which has been shown to have fat-burning capabilities. Caffeine content in teas varies greatly, though black tea typically contains more than green tea.

Soft Drinks

40-50 mg per 12 oz.

The caffeine content in soft drinks runs the gamut from insignificant to massive. Unless you opt for a diet version, they’re also usually high in sugar and artificial ingredients.

Caffeine capsules

100-200 mg per pill

At $0.10 per serving or less, this is perhaps the most affordable and efficient way to take caffeine without having to worry about what else is in it.

The downside: A single pill can leave you jittery if you’ve never tried it before, so start with small dosages.

Dark Chocolate

12 mg per oz.

As I discussed previously, chocolate contains the potent antioxidant epicatechin among other undeniably healthy ingredients, but it is also usually loaded with sugar. Choose a product with at least 70 percent cocoa, which provides more epicatechin and less sugar.

Energy Drinks

75-120 mg per 8 oz.

These are convenient but typically loaded with sugar, unless you choose the sugar-free versions. It’s a relatively expensive way to consume caffeine, too.

Energy Shot

140-200 mg

These typically don’t contain added sugars, but are still expensive. The FDA doesn’t require them to list caffeine content on labels so you might not know exactly how much caffeine you get.

Gels

30-100 mg per gel

Carbohydrate gel packs are made for endurance athletes, sometimes containing caffeine to boost low blood sugar levels. Not all gels contain caffeine, so if you definitely want the caffeine or definitely don’t, pay attention to the label. These should be consumed with plenty of water.

Green Tea Extract

Unknown

Though data show that green tea affects metabolism, most manufacturers don’t list the exact caffeine content on this popular fat-burner.

Caffeinated Mints/Gum

Gum: 30-50 mg per stick
Mints: Less than 100 mg per mint

The caffeine in these novel treats absorbs quickly, but the downside is that most varieties fail to adequate mask the acrid flavor of the caffeine itself. They taste bad.

Pre-workout Supplements/Fat-burners

150-300 mg

These are convenient and often combined with other pre-workout goodies including creatine, beta-alanine, arginine, and citrulline. You can also mix into your favorite beverage to watch calories.

How should I take it?

If you’re like most people, you don’t need me to tell you how to take caffeine, because you’re already doing it. But, from an athletic perspective, here are a couple points to consider to maximize your performance:

Dosage

You can start feeling the effects of caffeine with as little as 20 mg (0.3 mg/kg of bodyweight). If you’ve never used it before, start with the lowest dose and work up accordingly.

The benefits of caffeine appear to be maxed out at around 200 mg (3 mg/kg of bodyweight), with no additional benefits coming at much higher doses. At very high doses (6 mg/kg of bodyweight or 400 mg4) caffeine may start to decrease performance, and increase anxiety and cortisol.⁵ You may not think that applies to you, but many people take multiple caffeinated substances without realizing how much total caffeine they ingest.

Do you take a 100 mg cup of coffee, 150 mg fat-burner, and 200 mg (or more) pre-workout in the same morning? That’s a lot of caffeine. If you experience symptoms like shaking, anxiety, nervousness, or heart palpitations, cut back on the dosage.

Timing

Caffeine levels in your bloodstream peak approximately 60-90 minutes after consumption. Therefore, you should take it 1-2 hours prior to your training.

Remember that caffeine has a relatively long half-life of about six hours, which means that if you take a 200 mg tablet at 6 p.m., you’ll still have half that amount in your body at midnight. It can affect your sleep cycle if you’re not careful.

REFERENCES

1. al., G.M.S.e., Effect of caffeine on sport-specific endurance performance: A systematic review. . Journal Strength and Conditioning Research, 2009. 23(1): p. 315-24.
2. Astorino, T.A., R.L. Rohmann, and K. Firth, Effect of caffeine ingestion on one-repetition maximum muscular strength. Eur J Appl Physiol, 2008. 102(2): p. 127-32.
3. Davis, J.M., et al., Central nervous system effects of caffeine and adenosine on fatigue. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol, 2003. 284(2): p. R399-404.
4. Graham, T.E. and L.L. Spriet, Metabolic, catecholamine, and exercise performance responses to various doses of caffeine. J Appl Physiol (1985), 1995. 78(3): p. 867-74.
5. Beaven, C.M., et al., Dose effect of caffeine on testosterone and cortisol responses to resistance exercise. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2008. 18(2): p. 131-41.
6. Armstrong, L.E., et al., Fluid, electrolyte, and renal indices of hydration during 11 days of controlled caffeine consumption. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2005. 15(3): p. 252-65.

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7 Nutritional Hacks

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In 2004, I was inspired by a book called “Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and Development.” I had been a strength coach and Bodybuilding.com author for years, and I had a passion for highly difficult, unconventional movements—like one-arm barbell lifts, for example. But this was the first time that I had seen such extensive writing on the concept of “odd object training,” a training style that old-time strongmen knew well.

Author Brooks Kubik described athletes who had the movement skills of a trained gymnast, but also the strength of a top-level lifter, a combination we rarely see in today’s fitness landscape. Why would such athletes use irregular, hard-to-control objects like heavy bags, anvils, kegs, and barrels? They all had different reasons, but most came back to the idea of “filling in the holes” in most strength training programs. These great athletes believed that odd objects hit the body, and developed it, in ways that standard weights could not match.

What stuck with me most, though, was a section on sandbag training. Kubik insisted sandbag training was unlike any other form of training, including other odd objects, both in the demands it placed on the body and the results it produced. “It builds a type of rugged, total-body strength that is impossible to duplicate with other equipment,” he wrote. How could you not be intrigued by a description like that?

Sandbag Shoulder Squat

A Simple Bag of Sand

Full of enthusiasm, I did what many of you probably have done in a similar situation: get that army duffel bag out, fill it with garbage bags full of sand, and duct tape it all together. This simple recipe for a homemade sandbag made me ready to train and bask in the great results. After all, Kubik himself wasn’t working with anything fancier than that, right?

Brooks Kubik
Watch The Video – 01:18

Guess what? It worked—well, for a little bit. It was different and hard, and I created a set of homemade sandbags of different weights. Then their effectiveness waned. I was left to think something that so many have struggled with: Sandbag training just doesn’t work all that well!

Ten years later, I can conclusively say that the problem wasn’t the sandbag—it was me. I spent the last decade studying and perfecting sandbag training, with the goal of doing what nobody else seemed to be able to do until now: use the sandbag as the foundation of a complete strength training program, which I call the DVRT system.

An Implement Like No Other

“You don’t have to have a PhD in biomechanics to see that sandbags look and function differently from any type of iron-based weights.”

Initially, the big mistake I made was trying to program and use the sandbag like a barbell. You don’t have to have a PhD in biomechanics to see that sandbags look and function differently from any type of iron-based weights. This causes people to assume, wrongly, that sandbags can’t make you strong. The truth is that they simply need to be programmed differently for you to see their benefits.

As we get better at using stable implements like barbells, dumbbells, and even kettlebells, the way these weights move becomes predictable, and our bodies become great at “grooving” them, or moving them in the most efficient way possible. Sandbags, however, are inherently inefficient. Every repetition is just a little bit different than the one that preceded it. And less efficient movements strengthen the body because they force all muscles to work together. I’ve seen firsthand that when the small muscles start working in synergy with the big muscles, the result is a much stronger and injury-resistant lifter, as well as incredible boosts in fat-loss, endurance, and overall athleticism.

Sounds great, right? Well, in the short-term, all of this simply means that sandbags make your body work harder than any other implement. For instance, in a forthcoming study from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, researchers compared the Ultimate Sandbag I created to dumbbells in a lunge exercise. The subjects held both implements in the rack position, the same load was used, and the same number of repetitions was performed. The outcome? The Ultimate Sandbag group had on average eight beats per minute higher heart rate than the dumbbell group!

That was no surprise to me, of course. The lesson is that there’s something entirely different going on in sandbag training than in other modalities. Try it, and it might change the way you see fitness.

A New Approach to the Old Standbys

Unlike, say, kettlebells and suspension systems, you don’t need to learn a whole new catalog of movements to embark on sandbag training. Squats, cleans, presses, rows, and lunges are the staples of much of what we do. What changes with sandbags is how you progress once a movement gets too comfortable. In my book DVRT: The Ultimate Sandbag Training System, I identify nine variables that can be changed to make a movement less efficient and more difficult.

There’s not enough room to do justice to them all here, but here are the three most important ones for a sandbag beginner to know:

1 Holding Position

How we hold a weight is rarely ever programmed in a fitness program. We may use different holding positions just to give ourselves variety, but we rarely think of it as a means of offering progression. A big reason is that most implements don’t allow a lot of options in this regard.

Sandbag Bear Hug Squat

If we look at squatting for an example, we have three major variations we can use for a barbell: back, front, and overhead. There are also three for a dumbbell or kettlebell: goblet, rack, and overhead. We have nine when it comes to the sandbag.

These don’t just represent nine ways to hold the weight, but also nine specific ways to make the squat better for distinct training goals. Some make the weight become more stable, others less. A bear hug squat is an example of a more stable squat, while the shoulder squat is a more unstable squatting pattern.

Ultimate Sandbag
Watch The Video – 01:46

2 Body Position

Just like holding position, the way we position our bodies when we lift the sandbag can make the weight feel more or less stable. For an example, let’s look at the power clean. With a barbell, most lifters would never dream of ever performing this with anything but a standard bilateral stance. And you can definitely perform it that way with a sandbag, too.

So what comes next? If you stand in a staggered stance, with one foot slightly ahead of the other, the same load now feels more unstable—and more like the sort of lifting stance we use in most real-world and sport scenarios. You can also change planes of motion moving laterally, forward-stepping, or even rotationally to clean the sandbag and change its stability.

Ultimate Sandbag
Watch The Video – 03:27

3 Dimension

Why does a 100-pound power clean with a sandbag feel equivalent to a much heavier barbell? People will say, “Because the sandbag is unstable.” But in actuality, the sandbag is moving through a vertical plane in line with the body, just like any other weight. The real difference is in dimension and leverage.

Sandbag Power Clean

People forget that as sandbags get heavier they also get larger. No other implement has such a dramatic change in its size as a sandbag as the weight changes. Heck, kettlebells and barbells even go a long way to stabilize the size with competition kettlebells and bumper plates. Where these implements want to have a more predictable movement, we want anything but!

The sheer size of a sandbag can make just lifting it much more grueling, nearly as much as the weight inside. What do I mean? If you lift two sandbags of the same weight but different dimensions, they’ll feel different. Keeping the same weight, but moving to a larger sandbag, completely alters the feel and outcome of an exercise. Sometimes it will help make an exercise more stable, like in the bear hug squat, or it can make it far more challenging, like in the clean and press.

Ultimate Sandbag
Watch The Video – 01:30

Start Your Sandbag Training Here

The only downside to having so many ways to progress in sandbag training is that people often rush to change. Your first goal should be to cement good movement patterns and get accustomed to the unique challenges a sandbag provides. Only once you have mastered these movements should you begin to add complexity. Then you can start creating programs, progressions, and dialing in which exercise is best for your precise training goal.

Beginner Circuit

Perform all exercises consecutively as a circuit. On the first series allow 20 seconds of rest between exercises, 30 seconds in the second set, and 40 seconds on the third set.

• Bear Hug Squat: 10 reps
• Clean and Press: 8 reps
• Power Clean: 10 reps
• Bent-Over Row: 12 reps
• Kneeling Press-Outs: 15 reps

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Vital Stats

Name: Vince Del Monte
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 205 lbs
Occupation: WBFF professional fitness model, personal trainer, and author
Website: vincedelmontefitness.com
Facebook: vincedelmontelivelargetv

You may recognize this guy. He stumbles out of bed feeling as though he hasn’t slept. That’s because he hasn’t. He doesn’t have the time for a real breakfast so he hits the drive thru for a breakfast McFatty. By 3 p.m. he’s ready to faceplant on his desk. Hoping for some energy, he resorts to a designer coffee or a cola from the vending machine.

He plans to hit the gym after work, but by the time he leaves the office, he’s exhausted and starving. His wife is just as exhausted, so he picks up some Chinese takeout and heads home. In the last two months, he hasn’t had a shower that lasted more than five minutes or slept for more than four hours straight. He used to curl 80 pounds, but he’s down to curling 10, for however many reps it takes to change a wet diaper.

Yep, he’s a new father. You may even be him. I had no intention of being him when my wife gave birth to our precious baby girl during a hot summer day last August. Nine months later, I can say I narrowly escaped being him, but only because I planned ahead, took some positive steps, and had a great deal of help with some of the biggest health and fitness challenges of my life.

I learned a lot during the process, and I want to share what I’ve learned with anyone else who is expecting a new child, whether it’s your first or your fourth.

“Becoming a father is huge game-changer.”

The Same … But Different

Becoming a father is huge game-changer. Life is no longer about Vince’s workouts, Vince’s food, Vince’s business, Vince’s movies, and Vince’s trips. After having a baby, it’s no longer about me at all.

Becoming a father is incredibly challenging—even more so if you’re also trying to gain or maintain lean muscle and eat healthfully. But despite what you’ll hear from some people, being a new Dad doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your own health and physique. In fact, by incorporating these tips into your life, being a new Dad may be one of the best things that could happen to your fitness goals.

Think of it this way: The challenges you faced before having a father are the same ones you’ll face now: Sleep and stress, diet, focus, accountability and time. But you’ll experience them in an entirely new way.

Challenge 1

Shortly after my daughter was born, I had the Koenigsberg test done to check my adrenal gland function, because I was eating in a caloric deficit but couldn’t lose any fat. I was exhausted and stressed, and it wasn’t much of a surprise to learn that my adrenal function was at an all-time low.

Vince DelMonte
Watch The Video – 6:17

Stress, lack of sleep, and the stress caused by lack of sleep will wreak havoc on your hormone levels and throw them completely out of whack. When that happens, you’ll be fatigued, you’ll start to gain fat—or just store fat like I was—because of high cortisol levels. Pretty quickly, you’ll find your testosterone levels will be too low to continue adding muscle.

This is the point in article where I’d usually tell you to sleep more. Unfortunately, in the first weeks or even months after the baby is born, sleep is going to be a prize, not a guarantee. You may be one of the lucky fathers whose baby starts sleeping through the night almost immediately, but the odds are that you’ll be getting up at least once each night for a changing or feeding.

I don’t consider letting my wife deal with the late nights on her own an option, and neither will you. Simply accept that you’re going to have interrupted sleep and irregular sleep patterns for a while and try to counter it one of two ways:

• Going to bed earlier
• Getting up later

Because I have a business to run, and because I like getting a jump on the day, I started going to bed earlier. In fact, I go to bed earlier now than I did when I was young enough to be told to go to bed. I’m in bed by 9:30 each night and wide awake at 6 a.m., and it’s actually quite an empowering feeling. I can still get around eight hours of sleep, even if it isn’t all at once.

Because my body and my health are a priority, I’m fine with missing nights in front of the television or working late on projects. In the meantime, my adrenal glands are now functioning as they should and I have a lot more energy to devote to burning fat and gaining muscle.

Challenge 2

Eating a healthy diet and hitting all your macros is challenging at any time, but even more so when you have a new baby in the house. If your wife usually does most of the food shopping and cooking, she probably won’t be able to take care of you to the degree she used to. She shouldn’t be expected to either. Even if you normally share the kitchen duties, prep time is now at a premium and will be for quite a while, and it’s so easy to fall into the trap of ordering out or nuking your meals. But this is a dangerous road to fat gain and poor health.

One of the best things I’ve ever done for my body and my family was to spend a chunk of money on cooking lessons with a chef. I learned how to cook meals in bulk so I could always have healthy meals that taste good and cover all my macros. I have to say, I’ve cooked some seriously good food and the meals were easy-on-the wallet and 10 times more delicious than my old bodybuilding meals. Learning how to cook in bulk had such a huge impact on my energy, health, and body that I made it the focus of the latest season of my online series, Live Large TV. I’ll share some of what I learned in my next article for Bodybuilding.com.

Improving my kitchen skills rescued my health and restored my energy levels, but it also saved me a huge amount of time and money. Every day after I have my first meal and get my workout in, I set aside an hour to cook all of our meals for that day and sometimes the next. Believe me, you can cook up to a week’s worth of food in about the same time you cook a days worth of food when life is really busy. Having nutrient-dense foods ready to eat at any given time is absolutely crucial if you want to avoid the fat gain and muscle stagnation typical to new fathers.

“Improving my kitchen skills rescued my health and restored my energy levels, but it also saved me a huge amount of time and money.”

Challenge 3

Staying focused is a constant battle for some people—even before they introduce a family into the mix. For others, it’s fairly easy because they’re driven. But if you’re a new father, you’re going to have a lot of obstacles to staying focused on your personal physique goals. Things are chaotic at home even in the best of times, there’s a lot more to do to keep everything functioning for your family, and you will be totally fascinated by this incredible new baby.

I navigated these unpredictable circumstances by scripting my day. I have a set schedule that I follow every single day, where I perform the most important tasks first, before something else has a chance to get in the way.

“I can’t stress enough how essential it is to focus on the most important things first.”

I can’t stress enough how essential it is to focus on the most important things first. I need to work out, eat well—and make sure my wife does too—and run my business, so those tasks are scheduled first. I get up at 7 a.m. or earlier, eat, and then work out from 8-9 a.m. From 9-10, I cook. From 10-4, I work. Then, 4-8 p.m. is for spending time with my wife and daughter and having a good dinner. Our daughter goes to bed at 8 p.m., which gives me an hour and a half to spend relaxing with my wife and doing something fun. I do my best not to go back to the computer in the evening unless there is an emergency that can’t wait.

Even if you normally hate having a set schedule, I can’t recommend it enough. We have a limited amount of willpower, especially when we’re tired and busier than usual. A lot of guys balk at following a schedule because they don’t like being told what to do, but don’t forget that you’re the one creating the schedule, and it’s our goals that the schedule was created to meet.

Challenge 4

Needing some extra accountability is nothing to be embarrassed about. Some people find they do better with accountability at all times, while other people just need it during particularly challenging times like after a birth. That accountability might be something as small as having a buddy at the gym to check your progress or run sprints with you, or it could be something you pay for. It only has to make sense to one person: You.

I chose to hire renowned coach Ryan Faehnle to write my workouts and meal plans, eliminating all guess work and giving me a structured and progressive program to follow. I’ve never believed in being your own coach, because any time I’ve coached myself, I get sub-optimal results. Not only do I get to benefit from Ryan’s incredible knowledge and unique techniques, but I get to hand over the reins to someone else so I can focus on my other responsibilities.

“Not only do I get to benefit from Ryan’s incredible knowledge and unique techniques, but I get to hand over the reins to someone else so I can focus on my other responsibilities.”

I realize that not everyone can afford to hire a great coach, and I’m not saying you can’t get results on your own. But I will say that you’ll always get faster results if can find someone to help you stay accountable to your workouts and meals. Join a community, either locally or virtually. Partner up with a friend who’s interested in working together. Enter a transformation contest with a deadline. Follow a program designed by someone you look up to, and don’t be afraid to spend a few bucks on a program so that you put some money at stake.

Challenge 5

Time—you used to have a lot of it. Now you don’t. Even if your schedule seemed jammed before you had a newborn, now it’s completely covered up. Aside from focusing on what’s important and creating a schedule that reflects that, the best thing you can do for you and your family is to get some help.

No matter how amazing your wife is, she’s not Superwoman. Don’t expect her to be able to take care of the baby and everything having to do with your home life as well. Your wife may be working outside the home as well, just as you are. Do whatever you can to help each other, but don’t be afraid to accept help when it’s there for the taking.

“Aside from focusing on what’s important and creating a schedule that reflects that, the best thing you can do for you and your family is to get some help.”

Even if you can’t afford to pay for a cleaning service or help with the yard or whatever else, maybe you can find ways to barter for it. If you’re an accountant, maybe you know a guy who can maintain your yard in exchange for help with his taxes. Maybe your wife’s a hairstylist and knows someone who would gladly clean one morning each week in exchange for free haircuts or color. You get the idea. Let the in-laws and your parents or friends help out when they offer. It’s temporary, they’ll love being able to spend time with your baby, and you’ll preserve your health, sanity, and marriage along the way.

I’ll leave you with one last tip that has become my mantra every time the baby pushes us to our limits: “This too shall pass, soon to be replaced by something else.” It’s one of my favorite quotes and it’s so appropriate to the first few months of raising a newborn. Take steps to make sure that you stay on track so you don’t have to start from square one over and over again. Along the way, remember to cherish every single moment with your newborn. These are moments you’ll never get back!

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