Muscle Gain Truth

Revealed: The Truth About Massive Biceps & Triceps

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 16:24:00 +0000

It’s no secret that every serious lifter out there desires an impressive pair of strong, muscular arms.

Who wouldn’t be happy with tall, peaking biceps sitting on top of rock-hard, horse-shoe-shaped triceps? Who wouldn’t love to have a pair of ripped, well-developed guns forcefully bursting through the sleeves of their shirt?

While developing muscular arms is usually at the top of many peoples’ agenda, the reality is that the majority of lifters out there have a very poor understanding of how to properly train their arms for maximum gains.

In order to gain the proper insight into effectively stimulating arm growth, we must first recognize three basic truths:

1) Relatively speaking, the biceps and triceps are small muscle groups.
2) The biceps receive heavy stimulation during all basic pulling movements for the back.
3) The triceps receive heavy stimulation during all basic pressing movements for the chest and shoulders.

What do these 3 points tell us about effective arm training?

The most important thing for you to realize is this:

For maximum gains in muscle size and strength, the biceps and triceps require only a very small amount of direct stimulation!

So why is it that every time I enter the gym I see the same misinformed people, week in and week out, slaving away on endless sets of bicep curls and tricep extensions?

It’s very important to understand that the biceps and triceps receive a very large amount of stimulation from all of your chest and back training. Couple this with the fact that your biceps and triceps are already small muscle groups to begin with and it becomes quite clear that direct arm training is of minor importance.

Remember, your muscles do not grow in the gym. The work that you accomplish as you train with weights is merely the “spark” that sets the wheels of the muscle growth process into motion. The real magic takes place out of the gym while you are resting and eating, as this is the time when your body will actually be synthesizing new muscle tissue.

Because of this, it is vital that you do not overtrain your muscles. You must always make sure to provide them with sufficient recovery time if you want to see impressive results. Overtraining can actually make your muscles smaller and weaker.

If you’re looking to achieve serious arm growth, you must stop placing so much emphasis on direct arm movements. Forget about performing endless sets of concentration curls and tricep pressdowns. Strong, muscular arms are mostly a product of heavy chest and back training.

This is not to say that no direct arm training is necessary, just not very much. Here is a sample arm routine that you can use as a part of your program:

Routine #1

Barbell Curls – 2 sets of 5-7 reps
Standing Dumbbell Curls – 1 set of 5-7 reps

Routine #2

Close-Grip Bench Press – 2 sets of 5-7 reps
Standing Cable Pushdowns – 1 set of 5-7 reps

Take all sets to complete muscular failure and focus on progressing each week by using slightly more weight or performing an extra rep or 2.

If you can incorporate this way of thinking into your arm training, you will achieve arm size beyond anything you previously thought possible.

To learn about the proper methods for training your chest, back, legs, shoulders and abs as well, visit my website by clicking the link below. You can gain instant access to a complete online video lesson series outlining these techniques in detail...

MuscleGainTruth.com

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj

The Optimum Rep Range For Building Maximum Muscle & Strength

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 23:23:00 +0000

No matter what you read or who you talk to, everyone has their own opinion of what the "perfect" rep range should be to allow for maximum muscle stimulation and growth. In this article I’m going to clear up the confusion once and for all and reveal what I believe to be the most effective rep range possible for maximizing your results in the gym.

Sets that utilize heavy weight and low reps are without a doubt the most effective means of stimulating maximum muscle growth. For every set that you perform in the gym, you should utilize a rep range of 5 to 7.

This means that the weight should be light enough that you can complete 5 reps using proper form, but heavy enough that you cannot complete more than 7.

What's so special about 5 to 7, you ask? Well…

1) Each set will only last between 20-30 seconds.

Maximizing your muscle gains is all about intensity and efficiency. By utilizing a lower rep range, your sets will only last a short period of time, allowing you to generate 100% mental focus and effort.

Training with 100% intensity is critical to stimulating muscle growth and it is much easier to maintain this level of effort for shorter periods of time.

2) Muscle stimulation will be maximized.

Utilizing a rep range of 5 to 7 you will force your body to tap into your "fast twitch muscle fibers", which are by far the most responsive to muscular growth. This will result in the greatest amount of muscle growth and strength gain possible.

3) Maximum resistance can be used.

By performing only 5 to 7 reps per set, you will enable your muscles to handle heavier amounts of weight. Building muscle is a byproduct of building strength, and training in a lower rep range is the most effective way to accomplish this. Since your strength will shoot up much faster using 5 to 7 reps per set, so will your muscle size.

4) Lactic Acid production will be kept to a minimum.

Training in the range of 5 to 7 will also decrease the amount of lactic acid that is secreted within the muscles. Lactic acid is a metabolic waste product that is produced as the body burns carbohydrates for fuel. By limiting the amount of lactic acid production you will decrease muscle catabolism and create an environment in the body where greater amounts of energy can be generated.

Okay, so we've established that a rep range of 5-7 is the most effective means of stimulating muscle growth.

However, this does not apply all the time or on every single lift. There are a few select muscle groups that should be stimulated using a slightly higher rep range. These are the calves, abs, forearms and upper traps. These muscle groups are predominantly made up of slow-twitch fibers, and therefore will respond better to higher reps.

For this reason, a rep range of 10-12 should be utilized for these muscle groups.

Summary:

Perform 5-7 reps for the chest, lats, biceps, triceps, shoulders and thighs.
Perform 10-12 reps for the calves, abs, forearms and upper traps.

Choosing a proper rep range is just one small piece of the puzzle when designing an effective workout routine. If you want to maximize your results and learn about all of the other aspects of workout structure such as exercise selection, sets, days in the gym, bodypart splits, rest periods and more, click the link below to visit my website.

MuscleGainTruth.com

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj

4 Fatal Muscle-Building Myths Revealed

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 22:04:00 +0000

If you’re serious about making a solid commitment to a muscle-building program, you need to be very careful of who you take advice from. Bodybuilding and fitness is literally a multi-billion dollar industry with new websites popping up every single day.

Many of the so-called “experts” out there really don’t have a clue of what they’re talking about and are only motivated by pushing expensive pills, powders and “miracle programs” on you that you don’t really need.

If you don’t watch your step you may end up falling for some fatal muscle-building pitfalls that will literally destroy your gains. In this article I’m going to expose 4 very common muscle-building myths in order to keep you on the proper path to the mind-blowing muscle and strength gains you deserve.

Myth #1: In order to build muscle, you must achieve a "pump" during your workout. The greater the pump you achieve, the more muscle you will build.

For those of you who are just starting out, a “pump” is the feeling that you get as blood becomes trapped inside the muscle tissue when you train with weights. The muscles will swell up and leave your body feeling bigger, tighter, stronger and more powerful. While a pump does feel fantastic, it has very little, if anything to do with properly stimulating your muscles to grow.

A pump is simply the result of increased bloodflow to the muscle tissue and is certainly not indicative of a successful workout. A successful workout should only be gauged by the concept of progression. If you were able to lift more weight or perform more reps than you did in the previous week, then you did your job.

Myth #2: Building muscle will cause you to become slower and less flexible.

Contrary to what you may think, building a significant amount of lean muscle mass will actually speed you up rather than slow you down.

Muscles are responsible for every movement that your body makes, from running to jumping to throwing. The bottom line is that the stronger a muscle is, the more force it can apply. Having stronger, more muscular legs means increased foot speed, just as having stronger and more muscular shoulders means the ability to throw farther.

Myth #3: You must always use perfect, textbook form on all exercises.

While using good form in the gym is always important, obsessing over perfect form is an entirely different matter. If you are always attempting to perform every exercise using flawless, textbook form, you will actually increase your chances of injury and simultaneously decrease the total amount of muscle stimulation you can achieve.

It’s very important that you always move naturally when you exercise. This could mean adding a very slight sway in your back when you perform bicep curls, or using a tiny bit of body momentum when executing barbell rows.

Myth #4: If you want your muscles to grow you must “feel the burn!”

This is another huge misconception in the gym. The “burning” sensation that results from intense weight training is simply the result of lactic acid (a metabolic waste product) that is secreted inside the muscle tissue as you exercise.

Increased levels of lactic acid have nothing to do with muscle growth and may actually slow down your gains rather than speed them up. You can limit lactic acid production by training in a lower rep range of 5-7, rather than the traditional range of 10 and above.

If you want to clear up your confusion and learn the truth behind many other popular muscle-building myths, visit my website by clicking the link below. I'll reveal why 95% of people in the gym fail miserably and will teach you how to get on the proper path toward muscle-building success...

MuscleGainTruth.com

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj

Instantly Increase Your Strength On Every Back Exercise

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 22:09:00 +0000

Do you want a quick, simple and instant way to increase the amount of weight you can lift on virtually every back exercise you perform?

Sound too good to be true?

I speak the truth, my friend, and the reality is that if you aren’t utilizing this basic piece of gym equipment you’re missing out on some serious muscle size and strength gains.

What tool am I talking about?

A pair of lifting straps!

This is such a basic and highly effective piece of equipment yet so many people neglect to use them. For those of you who are unaware, these are basically a set of thick straps made of extremely strong material that are placed around your wrists and then wrapped around the barbell, dumbbell or cable attachment.

The purpose of lifting straps is to “eliminate” your grip from the equation by forming a secure connection between your wrist and the weight. If you use these straps properly you can basically hold onto the bar and perform your exercises while expending almost no energy from your forearms.

Why is this so valuable?

Picture this scenario…

You’re performing a set of deadlifts (arguably the most powerful muscle-building exercise known to man) with the goal of performing 8 reps. You psych yourself up, grip the weight and clear the bar from the ground. The set is going well, but by the time you reach rep number 5, the strain on your grip is so great that you can no longer hold onto the bar. You’re forced to stop the set because your forearms reached muscular failure.

What exactly happened here?

Well, you gave yourself an amazing forearm workout! Congratulations! Unfortunately, you severely limited the amount of muscle stimulation you could achieve on your back, shoulders, legs, and just about every other muscle in your body that the deadlift targets in the process. Not a good thing!

Lifting straps completely eliminate this problem by making sure that you reach muscular failure in the major muscle groups that you are intending to target rather than on your forearms and grip. They can be used effectively for almost every back exercise or any other lift where the grip is of concern.

The main argument against lifting straps is the idea that they are a “crutch” and will negatively affect the development of grip strength and forearm size.

Let’s get real here. What would you prefer, greater muscle mass and strength in your lats and upper back (and just about every other muscle group on your body) or greater ability to crack open a jar of pickles? Take your pick.

The positive effect that lifting straps will have on your overall muscle mass and strength gains will far outweigh any negative effect that they have on your forearms and grip. Besides, you can easily incorporate specific forearm movements into your routine to develop your grip strength and forearm size.

If you aren’t using lifting straps already, get on it. You can find them at almost any store that sells sports or fitness equipment or you can order them online. They sell for about 10 or 15 bucks and are well worth the price.

MuscleGainTruth.com

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj

The King Of All Upper Body Exercises

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 22:18:00 +0000

Okay, so you’re looking to pack on some serious muscle mass, right?

You want to build a ripped, rock-solid physique that demands respect and turns heads everywhere you go, correct?

Good.

In this article I’m going to talk to you about one single exercise that will help you to achieve that powerful body quicker than you ever thought possible.

No, it’s not a bench press or a barbell curl.
It doesn’t involve cables or chrome machines.
You won’t need a swiss ball or any other fancy gym gadgets.

All you need is a good old-fashioned barbell and a flat surface. Load the bar with as much weight as you can handle and pick it up off the ground while keeping your back straight.

Sounds simple enough, right?

I’m talking, of course, about the undisputed king of all upper body exercises: the deadlift.

If you’re looking to pile as much lean muscle mass onto your frame as humanly possibly in the shortest period of time, the deadlift is your best friend in the entire world.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is that deadlifts are without a doubt one of the most painful and discomforting exercises you will ever come across. When performed properly, they’ll leave you lightheaded, nauseous, gasping for air and will temporarily have you wishing that you hadn’t come to the gym in the first place. But if it’s serious results that you’re after, this is the price you must pay.

The deadlift will work you from finger to neck to toe. It is a raw, basic power movement and will literally stress every single muscle in your entire body to some degree. The main areas of stimulation are the back (lower and upper) and thighs, but once you start deadlifting on a consistent basis you’ll see gains just about everywhere.

The high intensity nature of this basic lift will also force your body to secrete higher amounts of powerful anabolic substances such as testosterone and growth hormone. This causes what is known as a “spill over effect”, and will result in new, total body size and strength gains. For example, after a few weeks of heavy deadlifting you should notice that your other lifts, such as the bench press and barbell row, will suddenly increase.

There a few different variations of the deadlift, but in this article we’ll focus on the basic, standard bent-legged version. Let’s go over the proper technique...

Position your feet about shoulder-width apart and grip the bar with your hands just outside your legs. You can either hold the bar with an overhand grip or with one palm facing in and one palm facing out. Choose whatever grip is most comfortable for you.

Start the movement in a squatted position with the bar close to your shins. With your back flat, abs tight and head looking up, lift the weight off of the ground by driving upward with your legs. Pull the weight up until you are in a standing position. Now lower the weight back down by following the same path as when you lifted it.

Rest the plates on the ground briefly, regroup, take a deep breath and pull the weight back up again. Continue the lift until your legs reach muscular failure or until your form starts to slip.

Maintaining proper form is of high importance when performing deadlifts. You should be able to handle a reasonable amount of weight here, and this increases your chance of injury. The most important thing to remember is to keep your back flat at all times and to keep the weight close to your body. Keep your abs tight as well as this will minimize the stress on your lower back.

Practice this lift with light weight in order to get the form down before you start going heavy. You may also find it useful to use lifting straps when performing deadlifts, as this will prevent your grip from giving out before the rest of your body does.

I recommend performing deadlifts once a week for 2 all-out sets to muscular failure.

How many reps should you perform for each set?

Well, deadlifts are such an incredibly effective exercise that they’ll work no matter what rep range you use. My suggestion is to stay in the range of 5-7, but some people go as high as 20. Experiment and see what works best for you.

Treat your deadlifts with respect, and be prepared for the gains of your life.

MuscleGainTruth.com

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj

10 Simple Steps To Skyrocket Your Natural Testosterone Production

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 22:52:00 +0000

If there is one substance that could be considered the "holy grail" of muscle growth, testosterone would be it.

Quite simply, testosterone is the most important muscle-building hormone in your body and is one of the limiting factors that determines how much muscle you can ultimately build. Here is just a small handful of the many amazing benefits that increased testosterone levels will provide you with...

- Increased muscle size and strength.
- Decreased body fat levels.
- Increased sex drive and sexual endurance.
- Improved mood.
- Decreased levels of "bad" cholesterol.

Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Well it is, and in this article I'm going to outline 10 simple steps to naturally raise your testosterone levels and achieve all of these incredible benefits. While these steps will not result in "steroid-like" muscle gains, they will definitely contribute to your overall bottomline results.

1) Use compound exercises as the cornerstone of your workouts. I’m talking about the basic, bread-and-butter lifts such as squats, deadlifts, bench presses, rows, chin-ups, dips, lunges and military presses. These exercises will place your muscles under the greatest amount of stress in the gym and will force your body to increase testosterone production.

2) Always train with 100% effort and intensity. If you want to see real muscle gains, you must be willing to push yourself to the limit in the gym. Again, greater muscular stress in the gym translates to higher testosterone output.

3) Train your legs equally as hard as your upper body. As you may already be aware, intense leg training can actually stimulate growth in your chest, back and arms. This is due in part to the increase in testosterone that leg training induces.

4) Increase your EFA consumption. Essential Fatty Acids from sources such as peanuts, avocadoes, fish and healthy oils like flax seed, olive and canola are a great way to naturally boost testosterone levels.

5) Reduce your intake of soy. Soy protein raises the body’s levels of estrogen (the main female hormone) and this has a direct negative effect on testosterone levels.

6) Limit your consumption of alcohol. Alcohol has been shown to have quite a dramatic effect on testosterone levels, so try to limit your "binge drinking" nights and keep your alcohol consumption in moderation.

7) Increase your dietary intake of cruciferous vegetables. Broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, turnips, cabbage and brussel sprouts have all been shown to dramatically reduce estrogen levels, thereby raising testosterone.

8) Lower your daily stress levels. Being overly stressed stimulates the release of “cortisol”, a highly catabolic hormone that will cause your testosterone levels to plummet.

9) Increase your sexual activity. Sexual stimulation causes the body to increase the production of oxytocin which increases endorphin production (the "feel-good" chemical), and this also raises testosterone.

10) Make sure to get adequate sleep every night. A lack of sleep contributes to cortisol production, and this will lower your testosterone levels.

Start implementing these techniques on a consistent basis and you should experience a noticeable increase in your muscle size and strength gains.

MuscleGainTruth.com

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj

Massive Shoulders In A Matter Of Minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 21:56:00 +0000

If you’re looking to develop an impressive, muscular physique, well-developed shoulders are an absolute must. Thick, round “cannon ball delts” will make your upper body appear wide and powerful and will help immensely in creating the v-tapered look that all bodybuilders strive for.

Many serious lifters will argue that underneath clothes, muscular shoulders make the greatest contribution toward the overall appearance of the upper body.

The shoulder is a 3-headed muscle that performs the function of lifting and rotating the arm. It consists of the anterior region (the front), the medial region (the middle) and the posterior region (the rear). These heads can be stimulated in the gym using two different movements: an overhead press and a raise.

The overhead press is the meat and potatoes of effective shoulder training. There isn’t a single lift out there that can match the incredible shoulder-stimulating effect of a basic overhead pressing movement. Both a barbell and a dumbbell can be used for this exercise, but dumbbells are the best overall choice.

Dumbbells allow you to move through a more natural range of motion and also don’t allow one arm to cheat for the other. They also place a greater amount of total stress on the shoulder region in comparison to the barbell, which shifts some of the stress to the upper chest.

I would recommend using the seated overhead dumbbell press as your core shoulder movement. Grab a pair of dumbbells and sit on a bench with a vertical back support. Press the dumbbells overhead until your elbows are just short of locking out, and then lower them back to shoulder level.

The next exercise to look into is a basic side lateral raise, which can also be performed with a pair of dumbbells. Side laterals are an isolation exercise and will shift the majority of the stress to the medial head of the shoulder. This will build greater shoulder width and will contribute to that wide upper body look. Stand with your knees slightly bent and hold a pair of dumbbells with your palms facing inward. With a slight bend in your arms, raise the dumbbells up to shoulder level and then lower them back to the starting position.

When it comes to training your shoulders for maximum size and strength, a basic overhead press and a side lateral raise is all you need. It’s very important to realize that the shoulders are stimulated on virtually every single upper body exercise that you perform and therefore they do not require a lot of direct work.

Most people perform far too much work on their shoulders and actually hinder their gains as a result. Because of this I typically do not recommend that you perform isolation exercises for the anterior and posterior heads.

The anterior heads are heavily stressed during all chest pressing movements while the posterior heads are hit equally hard on all rowing movements for the back. A couple of extra sets won’t hurt, but you should try to minimize the volume as much as you can.

The key to massive shoulders is quality, not quantity.

Here are a couple of sample shoulder routines that you can use:

1) Seated Overhead Dumbbell Press – 2 sets of 5-7 repsStanding Dumbbell Side Laterals – 1-2 sets of 10-12 reps

If you insist on performing isolation exercises for the front and rear heads, you can use this routine:

2) Seated Overhead Dumbbell Press – 2 sets of 5-7 repsStanding Dumbbell Side Laterals – 1-2 sets of 10-12 repsStanding Front Dumbbell Raise – 1 set of 10-12 repsSeated Rear Lateral Dumbbell Raise – 1 set of 10-12 reps

There you have it.

All sets should be taken to complete muscular failure where no additional reps can be completed using proper form. Keep a detailed record of each workout and strive for continual improvement from week to week by either increasing the resistance or the number of reps performed.

MuscleGainTruth.com

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj

2 Simple Steps To Ripped, Shredded Muscles

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 22:47:00 +0000

Picture this scenario...

You've been training your tail off for the past 4 months, trying to pack on as much muscle size as you possibly can. You've bulked up considerably and are quite happy with the size you've been able to achieve.

There's just one problem...

Along with all of that solid, lean muscle you've gained, you notice that you've also packed on some excess body fat in the process.

Let's face it, no matter how "huge" you might be, no one wants to be walking around with a soft, smooth and flabby body. After most trainees have finished their "bulking" phase, they decide that it's time to "cut down" and strip off the excess body fat that they gained due to their high calorie, muscle-building diet.

How do they usually go about this?

They lighten up the weights and perform higher reps.

This has always been a widely accepted method of “cutting down” and if you ask most trainers in the gym they’ll tell you that “heavy weights bulk up the muscle and lighter weights define the muscle”.

Do you want to know the reality behind the “light weight and high reps” method of obtaining a ripped and defined physique?

It is completely, totally and utterly DEAD WRONG.

It couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, there is no logical basis for this way of training whatsoever, and whoever dreamt up this downright ridiculous way of thinking has caused the vast majority of lifters to waste their time and impede their progress in the gym.

Let me clear this up once and for all: you CANNOT spot reduce. In other words, it is physically impossible to target fat loss from a specific area on your body. Performing bench presses with light resistance and high repetitions will not magically burn fat off of your chest or cause it to appear harder and more defined.

Every single time you wrap your hands around a barbell, dumbbell or cable, your goal is to stimulate as much muscle growth as you possibly can. There are no special, secret weightlifting exercises that will “define” your muscles or cause them to become more “ripped”.

Training with weights builds muscle mass, end of story.

So how exactly do you “define” a muscle?

The only way to “define” a muscle is by lowering your body fat percentage in order to make your muscles more visible. Body fat reduction can be achieved in two ways:

1) Modify your diet.

You'll need to create a slight caloric deficit within your body to stimulate the fat burning process. This can usually be achieved by lowering your overall caloric intake to around 11-13x your bodyweight and focusing on consuming smaller meals more frequently throughout the day. This will keep your metabolism naturally raised at all times and will keep your body in a constant fat burning state.

2) Perform proper cardio workouts.

Let go of the traditional method of moderate intensity cardio in 30-45 minute durations. If you want to maximize your body’s fat burning capacity and also minimize the muscle loss that inevitably accompanies a fat burning cycle, focus on shorter, 15-minute cardio workouts performed 3-5 times per week at a high level of intensity.

That’s all there is to it, folks. Take the notion of “light weight and higher reps” and throw it right out the window, down the street and around the corner. Following this misguided method will only cause you to lose muscle mass and strength, and will not assist you in burning fat or defining your physique.

MuscleGainTruth.com

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj

The 5 Golden Rules Of Staying Injury-Free In The Gym

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 22:10:00 +0000

Listen, if you want to get big, you have to train big.

Entering the gym and simply going through the motions without a sweat just isn’t going to get the job done. You have to overload those muscles with heavy weight and high intensity if you want to see real results. This is without a doubt the most effective means of stimulating muscular growth.

Muscles grow due to a natural adaptive survival response, and if you don’t give them a damn good reason to grow, well, they won’t.

While training hard and heavy may be awesome for your muscles, it can be trouble for the health of your joints and connective tissue. This is simply the reality of intense weight training, and while there are no guarantees that you will be able to completely avoid getting injured, you can certainly take specific steps to lessen the chance.

An injury is the absolute last thing you could ever hope for, as it will stop you dead in your muscle-building tracks.

Down below I’m going to outline my “5 golden rules” when it comes to minimizing the risk of injury. If you can honestly say that you implement all 5 of these into your training program, then your risk of getting hurt will be much lower than someone who does not.

1) Always perform a thorough warmup.

A proper warmup is the single best thing you can do to minimize your risk of injury. This simple 15-20 minute process will prepare your mind and body for the hard work to come by increasing blood flow into the surrounding connective tissue and by lubricating your joints. I would recommend that you perform 5 minutes of light cardiovascular exercise before each workout followed by 4-5 warmup sets for your first major exercise of the routine.

2) Always train with proper form.

This should go without saying. Every exercise that you perform in the gym should be done with proper form and technique in order to keep the stress off of your joints. If you start squatting or deadlifting with a rounded back, jerking the weights around in a ballistic manner or performing dangerous exercises you are almost guaranteed to hurt yourself at some point.

3) Always train within your own personal limits.

Weightlifting is a personal battle, and letting your ego take over is almost always a recipe for disaster. It doesn’t matter what the guy next to you is benching and it is completely irrelevant to your training program. You must always use weights that you can handle and control with proper form, and if you start piling on the plates to impress the people around you, you’ll be stretching your limits and putting yourself in a very vulnerable position.

4) Always know when to quit.

If you cannot complete another rep of an exercise using proper form, the set is over, plain and simple. Put the weight down and rest up for your next set. If you start using huge amounts of momentum and jerky body motions to crank out a couple of extra reps, you’ll be on the sidelines before you know it.

5) Never ignore your aches and pains.

When you’re motoring along through a training program and are making progress from week to week, the idea of quitting just seems impossible. This can sometimes lead us to ignore those obvious injuries and pretend as if they aren’t really there as we often “work through” the pain and hope that it magically disappears.

More often than not, it will only get worse. If you feel that something definitely isn’t right and can sense that you probably shouldn’t be training, Get the problem checked out by a professional and then take the proper measures to heal. While it may hurt your progress in the short term, the overall long-term effect will be a positive one.

MuscleGainTruth.com

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj

Why Your Muscle Pumps Have Nothing To Do With Your Muscle Gains

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 31 May 2007 20:13:00 +0000

Your back is firmly planted on the bench as you wrap your chalked hands around the cold, steel bar. Your training partner helps you un-rack the weight as you power the bar up and down, squeezing your chest and triceps on each grueling rep. You complete your 6 repetitions, re-rack the bar and stand up.

Your chest feels tight and engorged with blood. You take a look in the mirror, thrilled with how full and vascular your pecs appear. You feel strong, powerful, healthy and motivated to blast through the rest of your workout with your newly achieved “pump”.

Let’s face it, a pump feels incredible. For those of you who aren’t quite sure what I’m talking about, a pump is the feeling that you get as blood becomes trapped inside your muscle tissue as a result of resistance training. The muscles will swell up and increase in size, vascularity and tightness.

There is certainly nothing wrong with achieving a pump in the gym, and it is simply a natural result of intense weight training. However, contrary to what the majority of weightlifters may think, a pump is in no way indicative of a successful workout. Anyone who uses the intensity of their pump as a gauge for the effectiveness of their workout is making a costly error.

On countless occasions I've heard lifters raving about the massive pumps they get in the gym as they share methods for achieving the best pump possible. "Dude, this will give you a crazy pump!" If you have already been working out for a decent amount of time then you know exactly what I'm talking about. While a pump does feel extremely satisfying, just remember that it means very little in terms of muscle stimulation and growth.

A pump is simply the result of extra blood within the muscle tissue. Think of it this way: if I took a pair of 10 pound dumbbells and performed 300 reps of a bench press movement, I would achieve an incredible pump. If muscle pumps meant muscle growth, then super light weight, ultra high rep programs would be the most effective way to grow. Any serious lifter with half a brain knows that this simply is not the case.

Do you want to know how to truly gauge the success of a workout? Here it is…

Take your workout records (in terms of weight and reps) from the previous week and compare it to the current week. Did you improve? Were you able to either increase the resistance slightly on each exercise, or perform an extra rep or two?

If so, you had a successful workout, regardless of how much blood you were able to pump into your muscle tissue.

Building muscle mass and strength is all about training with 100% intensity on every given set and then striving to improve from week to week. If you are able to consistently achieve this, your muscle size and strength will increase faster than you ever thought possible, with or without a pump.

MuscleGainTruth.com

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj

8 Of 8 Things You Must Do To Build Maximum Muscle Mass

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 28 May 2007 22:40:00 +0000

#8 - Understand that application and consistency is EVERYTHING!

You can have the most effective workout schedule possible, the most intelligent diet approach available and the most intimate understanding of muscle growth from every possible angle, but without the inner drive and motivation to succeed you will get nowhere, and very fast.

Just as the famous saying goes…

“Knowing is NOT enough. You must APPLY!”

Those who make the greatest gains in muscular size and strength are the ones who are able to continually and systematically implement the proper techniques on a highly consistent basis.

The people who see serious results and end up with standout physiques are the ones who can consistently execute all of the little daily tasks that must be completed in order for success to be had.

Building muscle is a result of the cumulative effect of small steps.

Sure, performing 1 extra rep on your bench press will not make a huge difference to your overall results, and neither will consuming a single meal. However, over the long haul, all of those extra reps you perform and all of those small meals you consume will decide your overall success.

If you work hard and complete all of your muscle-building tasks in a consistent fashion, all of those individual steps will equate to massive gains in overall size and strength.

It is those who are willing to persevere that will succeed.

It is those who are willing to rise above laziness that will end up with impressive results.

I mean let's face it, everyone wants to be strong and muscular. If this is the case, why isn't everyone strong and muscular? It's because only certain people have the proper drive and motivation that it takes to get there.

Do you have what it takes?

How much does a powerful, defined, muscular physique really mean to you? Are you willing to put forth the required effort in order to reach your goals?

If you answered “YES”, then good for you! Digging down deep and finding the necessary motivation to take a stand and make a change is the most important step of all. I can’t force this upon you, it’s something that you’ll need to create on your own.

This report has armed you with 8 very powerful, effective muscle-building principles that you can start applying to your program right away.

Here’s a quick recap of the 8 points that we covered…

(1) Provide your body with a surplus of calories by ensuring that your caloric intake exceeds your caloric expenditure.

(2) Consume the right types of calories from the proper food sources every 2-3 hours throughout the day.

(3) Increase your water intake.

(4) Keep a detailed record of every workout that you perform.

(5) Be prepared to push your body to the limit.

(6) Avoid overtraining by limiting your overall workout volume and by providing your body with sufficient recovery time in between workouts.

(7) Stop placing so much of your emphasis on dietary supplements.

(8) Understand that consistency is EVERYTHING!

MuscleGainTruth.com

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj

7 Of 8 Things You Must Do To Build Maximum Muscle Mass

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 25 May 2007 19:47:00 +0000

#7 - Stop placing so much of your emphasis on dietary supplements.

If you really think that pills, powders and drink mixes are going to build your body for you, you’re in for a huge disappointment! It continues to amaze me how much value and emphasis the majority of trainees place on “the latest breakthrough pill”.

Everyone is always asking me…

“What’s the best creatine out there?”
“How much weight can I gain from this whey protein supplement?”
“I have $200 a month to spend on supplements… what should I buy?”

Stop the madness!

A supplement is just that… a supplement.

It is there to supplement your diet by filling in the missing gaps and by providing you with greater amounts of specific nutrients that will slightly speed up your progress. Supplements are NOT there to do the work for you and will only play a small role in your overall success in the gym.

Stop falling for the multi-million dollar ads that talk about the latest “revolutionary breakthrough” that will allow you to build 25 pounds of muscle while you lie on the couch.

As advanced as we’ve become as a society, the basic rules of hard work and dedication still apply. If you want to change your physique, then hard training in the gym and a consistent diet plan is the only true way to get there.

Now, this doesn’t mean that I’m AGAINST the use of supplements; I’m merely against the over-use and over-emphasis of supplements. There are a few good, solid, effective products out there that I do recommend, but only as a small part of your overall approach.

My 5 “recommended” supplements include…

1) Protein supplements (whey protein, meal replacements, weight gainers and the occasional protein bar)
2) Creatine
3) Glutamine
4) Multivitamins
5) Essential Fatty Acids

I’m not going to talk about all of the specific benefits of each product in this report, but if you’re looking to accelerate your progress in the gym and achieve the best results possible, then those are the only 5 products that I would truly recommend.

I’m a big believer in the basics, and the plain fact is that most trainees are way more concerned with their supplement programs than they really need to be. It’s only natural, I mean, who wouldn’t want to pound back a couple of “orange-flavoured creatine cocktails” and watch their biceps explode through their sleeves?

Unfortunately it just doesn’t work this way. If something sounds too good to be true, then it usually is.

Hard training and a consistent diet is your only ticket to long-term success!

MuscleGainTruth.com

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj

6 Of 8 Things You Must Do To Build Maximum Muscle Mass

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 23 May 2007 16:28:00 +0000

#6 - Avoid overtraining by limiting your overall workout volume and by providing your body with sufficient recovery time in between workouts.

This is one of the most common and most deadly mistakes that almost all beginners run into. They naturally assume that the more overall work they perform in the gym, the greater their results will be.

Heck, when I was a beginner myself I thought the same thing.

Who can blame us for thinking that?

In almost all aspects of life this basic logic holds true. If you want to perform well on a school test, you need to maximize your studying time. If you want to improve your skills in a specific sport, you need to practice as much as possible.

When it comes to training for muscular size and strength, you can take this basic logic and toss it right out the window, down the street and around the corner!

The key thing to realize is that your muscles will NOT grow larger and stronger if they are stressed beyond the point of recovery. Remember, training with weights is merely an activity that sets the wheels in motion; it “sparks” the muscle growth process and “tells” your body to start building new muscle tissue. But the actual growth process takes place away from the gym while you’re eating and resting.

If you disturb the recovery process, muscle growth will not be carried out.

Overtraining is your number one enemy! Your goal in the gym is to perform the minimum amount of work necessary in order to yield an adaptive response from the body, and not a THING more.

You can avoid overtraining in the following ways…

1) Limiting the number of days you spend in the gym each week – I would recommend that you perform no more than 3 weight workouts in the same week.

2) Limiting the number of sets that you perform during each workout – You should perform a total of 5-7 sets for large muscle groups (chest, back and thighs) and 2-4 total sets for small muscle groups (shoulders, biceps, triceps, calves, abs). And remember, this is total sets per WORKOUT, not per exercise.

3) Limiting the amount of time spent in the gym – Each workout should not last for any more than 1 hour. This time frame comes into play beginning with your first muscle-building set and ends with your final muscle-building set.

4) Limiting your training frequency for each muscle group – Each specific muscle group should only be directly stimulated once per week in order to allow for full recovery time.

If you’ve been following the “more is better” mentality then you may find it hard to let go of, but believe me, as long as you train hard, you do NOT need to train often or with very many sets and exercises. In fact, performing too much work may actually cause your muscles to become smaller and weaker.

Perform only what is absolutely necessary and not a single exercise, set or rep more. Forget about all of the high volume routines that you see in the muscle magazines and posted all over the Internet.

Building muscle is about intelligently triggering your body’s growth mechanism and then getting the heck out of the gym and growing.

Nothing more, nothing less!

MuscleGainTruth.com

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj

5 Of 8 Things You Must Do To Build Maximum Muscle Mass

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 21 May 2007 16:42:00 +0000

#5 - Be prepared to push your body to the limit.

If you think that building muscle is going to be a walk in the park and that you can simply enter the gym, “go through the motions” and then go home, you are sadly mistaken.

The reality is that if you want to experience any appreciable gains in muscle size and strength, you’re going to have to be prepared to train hard. This is one of the key factors separating those who make modest gains from those who make outstanding gains.

Most people just plain don’t train hard enough!

As soon as the exercise starts to get difficult their spotter jumps in and starts helping or they put the weight down altogether.

BIG mistake!

The gym is a war zone, and if you want to be victorious, you must be willing to endure the battle.

Your muscles grow because of an evolutionary, adaptive response to the environment. Intense weightlifting is perceived as a threat to your survival, and the body responds to this by increasing the size and strength of the muscles to battle against the threat. Therefore, in order to see the most dramatic response in size and strength, you must push your body as hard as you safely can.

This can be achieved by performing all sets in the gym to the point of concentric muscular failure…

Concentric Muscular Failure: The point at which no further positive repetitions can be performed despite your greatest efforts.

There are 2 main phases to every exercise that you perform: the concentric and the eccentric. The concentric is the “positive” portion of the exercise (such as the “pushing” movement of a bench press) and the eccentric is the “negative” portion of the exercise (the “lowering” movement of a bench press).

Your goal in the gym is to perform each exercise to the point where no further concentric repetitions can be executed using proper form despite your greatest efforts to do so.

This is very challenging and will require a lot of mental toughness on your part. I’m not going to sit here and feed you a pack of lies by saying that training for muscle size is an easy task. It’s not!

Anyone who tries to tell you that training to failure is easy is flat-out lying. But if you’re serious about changing your physique and seeing serious results, this is simply what needs to be done.

Training to concentric failure will place the greatest amount of stress on the musculature and will produce the most dramatic “artificial threat” possible.

Some argue that training to failure is not necessary in order for muscle growth to occur, and the truth is that they are absolutely correct. You could never train to failure and over time you would still see gains in muscle mass and strength. The only true requirement for muscle growth to occur is progression.

However, (and that’s a big however) if you’re like 99% of the population, then you want to experience those gains as quickly and efficiently as you possibly can. While training to failure isn’t necessary for growth to occur, it IS necessary if you want maximum growth to occur in the shortest period of time possible.

MuscleGainTruth.com

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj

4 Of 8 Things You Must Do To Build Maximum Muscle Mass

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 18 May 2007 16:19:00 +0000

#4 - Keep a detailed record of every workout that you perform.

This muscle-building technique is absolutely critical to your success and forms the underlying basis for your entire workout plan. When it comes to structuring a proper approach in the gym, this is the most important overall factor, bar none.

Everyone is so obsessed with all of the specific principles in the gym (such as exercise selection, rep ranges, which days to spend in the gym, how many sets to perform etc.) that they fail to see the big picture.

Regardless of what type of approach you are taking in the gym, the underlying factor for success is progression.

You see, our bodies build muscle because of an adaptive response to the environment. When you go to the gym, you break down your muscle fibers by training with weights. Your body senses this as a potential threat to its survival and will react accordingly by rebuilding the damaged fibers larger and stronger in order to protect against any possible future threat.

Therefore, in order to make continual gains in muscle size and strength, you must focus on progressing in the gym from week to week.

Progression can take 2 main forms:

a) Increasing the amount of weight lifted on a specific exercise.
b) Increasing the number of reps performed with a given weight on a given exercise.

If you’re able to improve on at least one of the above factors each week in the gym, your body will be given continual incentive to grow larger and stronger.

If you neglect these factors and enter the gym without a concrete plan in mind, you’ll be ignoring the very foundation of the entire muscle growth process.

Your goal is to always be getting better from week to week!

Remove yourself from the typical crowd in the gym who aimlessly toss weights around and endlessly spin their wheels without any logic or rationale behind what they’re doing. If you’re continually using the same weights for the same number of reps, your physique will NOT improve.

I’d suggest using a workout log to track your progress in detail from week to week. You should write down the date, all of the exercises that you performed, the weight that you lifted and the number of reps you were able to execute. The next time you enter the gym, sit down for a minute before your workout and review those numbers. Your goal is to now improve upon all of those figures by either using slightly more weight or performing an additional rep or two.

Don't try to improve by leaps and bounds every single time you workout, but rather focus on making small, steady increases. Over the course of a few months, those small increases will add up a lot more than you think, and your body will continually adapt and grow to the ever-increasing stress.

When I first started training, I was able to squat 85 pounds for about 6 reps. A very small amount of weight, yes, but by simply focusing on adding slightly more weight and reps from week to week, my squat is now closer to 400 pounds for 6 reps.

Don’t worry about where you’re starting off, because as long as you place your entire focus in the gym on progression those numbers will shoot up faster than you could imagine.

MuscleGainTruth.com

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj

3 Of 8 Things You Must Do To Build Maximum Muscle Mass

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 16 May 2007 20:29:00 +0000

#3 - Increase your water intake.

Water is an absolutely critical component to the muscle-building process and to overall body health in general. Failing to keep yourself properly hydrated throughout the day will have a negative impact on literally every single process within your entire body!

Most people know that they should be drinking "plenty" of water throughout the day, but how many actually do?

If you really paid close attention to your water intake you'd probably be surprised at how little you actually consume.

What makes proper water intake so amazingly important?

Well for starters, it’s the most abundant element in your body. It is ranked only 2nd to oxygen as being essential to life.

Your body can survive for weeks without food, but without water you'd be dead in about 3 days.

Roughly 80% of your body is made up of water; the brain is 85% water and lean muscle tissue is 70% water.

Research has shown that being even slightly dehydrated can decrease strength and physical performance significantly. In fact, merely a 3-4% drop in your body's water levels will lead to a 10-20% decrease in muscle contractions.

Not only will water increase your strength, but it also plays a large role in preventing injuries in the gym. Highly intensive training over a long period of time can put unwanted stress on your joints and connective tissue, and water helps to fight against this stress by lubricating the joints and forming a protective "cushion" around them.

Along with protecting your joints, water is vital in the process of digestion. Anytime you consume a macromolecule, such as protein, your body must break this large molecule down into smaller pieces for absorption.

In the case of protein, you will be breaking it down into amino acids. Your body can only break down the protein into amino acids if water is present. So, in order to ensure that your body is utilizing all of the nutrients you consume, you must make sure that your water intake is high.

So, just how much water is enough?

To find out how many ounces of water you should be consuming every day, multiply your bodyweight by 0.6. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you should be consuming around 90 ounces of water every day.

150 x 0.6 = 90

I know it sounds like a lot, but if you plan your day out properly it shouldn't be a problem. Keep a water bottle with you at all times and sip from it periodically. Keep water in the places where you spend most of your time: in your car, at work, on your nightstand.

Another good method to ensure that you drink enough water is to pre-fill a few 16 ounce bottles at the beginning of the day. This way you can have a visual representation of where your water consumption is at any point in the day.

For the first few days you'll probably find yourself running to the bathroom quite frequently, but your body will soon adapt to the increased water volume and this will no longer be a problem.

MuscleGainTruth.com

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj

2 Of 8 Things You Must Do To Build Maximum Muscle Mass

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 14 May 2007 20:43:00 +0000

#2 - Consume the right types of calories from the proper food sources every 2-3 hours throughout the day.

We just established that in order to build muscle, you’ll need to always ensure that your caloric intake exceeds your caloric expenditure. That’s all fine and dandy, but it really only tells us half of the story.

You see, you could easily exceed your caloric expenditure by feasting on big macs, ice cream cones and potato chips, but do you think this would be an intelligent approach to building muscle?

Of course not.

You need to realize this…

All calories are NOT created equally!

The raw number of calories determines whether you’ll lose weight, maintain your weight or gain weight, but it is the type of calories that will determine what kind of bodyweight is lost or gained (lean muscle mass, fat, water etc.)

Your goal is obviously to build lean muscle mass while keeping body fat gains at a minimum, and therefore you’ll need to focus on consuming the right types of calories from the proper food sources.

The 3 main food groups you should concerned with are…

1) High Quality Protein – Protein builds and repairs muscle tissue and is the most important nutrient for those trying to increase their lean mass. Stick to high quality, easily absorbed sources such as lean red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, skim milk, cottage cheese, peanuts/natural peanut butter and whey.

2) High Fiber, Low Glycemic Carbohydrates – Carbohydrates aid in the absorption of protein, provide your muscles and brain with energy throughout the day and also help to maintain an optimal hormonal environment within the body.

Stick to slow-release, low-glycemic sources that will provide you with a steady stream of sugars throughout the day such as oatmeal, yams, brown rice and whole wheat products.

3) Healthy, Unsaturated Fats – Not all fats will make you fat, and unsaturated essential fatty acids fit that profile. EFA’s are highly beneficial to the muscle growth process by increasing testosterone levels, improving the metabolism and volumizing the muscle cells. Some good sources of EFA’s include fatty fish, nuts, seeds, avocados and liquids like flaxseed and olive oil.

These 3 food groups should make up the bulk of your diet, and should be spread out over the course of 5-7 small meals daily. That may sound like a lot of meals, but the reasons behind it are quite simple…

It all boils down to your body’s natural, hard-wired mechanisms.

The body’s primary goal is to keep you alive and healthy, and whenever you go without food for 2-3 hours your body begins to enter into a “starvation mode” as a natural survival response. Your body has no idea that you’re sitting 10 feet away from a fridge full of food, and for all it knows you may have to endure a long period of time without any nutrients. It responds to this by slowing down the fat burning metabolism and entering into a “catabolic state”, where lean muscle tissue begins wasting away so that the protein can be used for other survival functions within the body.

This is NOT a good thing!

If your goal is to build and maintain as much lean muscle as possible, you must always keep your body in an anabolic, muscle-building state throughout the day. This can be accomplished by consuming a small meal containing high quality protein and carbohydrates every 2-3 hours.

It may seem like a lot of work at first, but over time you’ll get used to it.

MuscleGainTruth.com

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj

1 Of 8 Things You Must Do To Build Maximum Muscle Mass

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 11 May 2007 20:01:00 +0000

#1 - Provide your body with a surplus of calories by ensuring that your caloric intake exceeds your caloric expenditure.

This is first and foremost on the list.

Beyond planning a proper workout schedule with all of the right exercises, sets, reps and rest periods lies this one simple rule of muscle growth…

In order to build muscle, you must consume more calories than you burn!

This is a basic biological law of muscle growth, and if you fail to consume an adequate number of calories per day you will NOT build muscle, plain and simple.

The work that you perform in the gym is simply the “spark” that sets the muscle growth process into motion. The REAL magic takes place when you are out of the gym, resting and eating. This is when your body will use the nutrients that you consume to begin repairing your damaged muscles and increasing their size and strength in preparation for your next workout.

If you don’t provide your body with the raw materials needed to facilitate growth, this process simply cannot take place.

In order to provide your body with the calories necessary to fuel muscle growth and to keep your body in an anabolic, muscle-building state at all times, you should be consuming anywhere from 15-20x your bodyweight in calories every single day. So if you weigh 150 pounds…

150 x 15 = 2250
150 x 20 = 3000…

Then you should be consuming anywhere from 2250-3000 calories every single day in order to build muscle.

You should adjust this number based on…

a) Your Metabolic Rate – Are you naturally thin and have a hard time gaining weight? Or do you seem to put on body fat just by looking at food? Depending on your overall body type you can adjust the number higher or lower.

b) Your Activity Level – Do you play sports or work a physically strenuous job? If so, you’ll need to consume more calories in order to compensate. If you’re fairly sedentary and aren’t very physically active (besides your weight workouts of course), then you probably won’t need as many calories as someone who is more active.

c) Your Goals – Are you aiming to bulk up and build as much overall body mass as you possibly can? If so, you’ll obviously want to consume as many calories as you reasonably can. Are you simply trying to build a little of extra muscle and look better overall? If so, then a slight caloric increase is all you’ll need.

Based on these 3 factors above you can decide where to place yourself on the caloric range.

Do NOT overlook this aspect of the muscle growth process!

Most trainees are so concerned with their workouts that they highly underestimate the importance of proper nutrition. If anything, nutrition is even MORE important than what you accomplish in the gym.

If you fail to eat properly by not providing your body with an adequate number of calories each day, building muscle will be physically impossible.

MuscleGainTruth.com

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj

8 Things You Must Do To Build Maximum Muscle Mass

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 09 May 2007 20:45:00 +0000

Introduction

There’s an age-old saying that’s been around for years and that can be applied to almost any area of life. The saying says…

“Those Who Fail To Prepare Are Preparing To FAIL!”

This wisdom-filled quote directly applies to the concepts of building muscle, burning fat and gaining strength.

You see, if you don’t have an intelligently structured plan and a blueprint for success, you’re most likely not going to get anywhere.

It continues to amaze me how many people I see entering the gym week in and week out, slaving away on the same old, ineffective techniques and never making any progress with their physiques. There’s just no logic or rationale behind what they’re doing, and it’s only a matter of time before they give up for good.

It’s no surprise that 95% of people in the gym end up failing and never reaching their goals.

It’s not due to a lack of willpower or motivation… it’s because they are simply uneducated. There’s just no method to their madness.

They come to the gym, toss weights around aimlessly, neglect their diets and then can’t figure out why they aren’t growing.

Luckily, you won’t be one of these people!

The fact that you are reading this report right now shows that you’re smart enough to realize the importance of proper planning, and this is a very important step for you to take on your journey to increased muscle mass and strength.

In this report I’m going to get right down to the basics by outlining 8 of the most crucial, powerful steps that should be applied to ANY muscle-building program.

These steps are not highly complex and are not rocket-science, but I’m continually amazed at the overwhelming percentage of aspiring trainees who fail to implement them.

So let’s get right down to business.

There are 8 points in total, and if you can implement all of them you’ll be well on your way to that muscular, defined body you’ve been dreaming of.

Let’s get started!

MuscleGainTruth.com

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj

Visualization/Verbalization Process

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 06 May 2007 15:18:00 +0000

Here is what I want you to do…

1) Clearly define exactly what you want to achieve.

What is it that you want to achieve? What are your ultimate goals? You're reading this email lesson for a reason. You opened your Internet browser, found my website, you signed up for this course and you felt that it was worth your time to read through it.

Okay, great, but why was it worth your time? What was your reason for signing up?

Don't say, "I want to build more muscle", or "I want to increase my bench press." If this is a goal of yours, fine, but what exactly do you want to achieve?

I may be asking a lot of questions here, but it's extremely important for you to find the answers. A vague image of your goals simply isn't enough; you must have a clear, well-defined image in mind if you truly want to be successful.

If you wanted to build a house, you wouldn't go about it by grabbing some wood and nails and trying to haphazardly piece them together.

Instead, you would make a blueprint and clearly define exactly what it was that you wanted to build. And so it must be the same for your muscle-building journey.

So…

Close your eyes. Eliminate any distractions around you. Relax, and breathe deeply.

I want you to visualize the body that you ultimately want to achieve. I'm not talking about a vague, fuzzy picture of a body that would "be nice to have." I'm talking about a well-defined, crystal clear depiction of the exact physique that you are going to build.

Look at your new body from the third person perspective, that is, from someone else's point of view. Imagine your new physique from the front, and then slowly rotate it in your mind so that you can see it from every angle.

You must focus on details here. You must see everything exactly how you want it to look from your chest to your shoulders to your back to your legs.

Lock that image in your brain and focus intensely on it.

Now in one quick, explosive movement, transport yourself into that body.

You are now experiencing your new physique from the first person, looking through its eyes. Look down at your muscles and see them as if they are yours.

Feel them. Flex them. Experience them.

Imagine that you're looking in the mirror and seeing a reflection of this new body. Try to make this visualization process feel as real as possible. Experience this reality in your mind as if it were actually happening. Imagine the sounds, the smells and the textures that are around you.

2) Clearly define the purpose as to why you are trying to achieve that body.

Okay, so you've now made a clear mental picture of the body that you want to achieve.

You see, an impressive physique is ultimately a material possession. As human beings, we strive to acquire material possessions because they make us feel a certain way.

Muscles are just muscles.

But why do you want muscles? What will they do for you? How will they make you feel?

Why do you buy a new car, take a trip to Hawaii or go to a restaurant and order a New York steak?

It's because it makes you feel good .

So what do muscles do you for you? Why do you want them?

Think deeply about this and examine your ultimate purpose. You want to develop an impressive physique for a reason . What is that reason? Analyze this reason and be honest with yourself.

Maybe you want more attention from the opposite sex. Maybe you enjoy the idea of being physically dominant among your peers. Maybe you want to feel healthier or become more skilled at a sport. Or maybe you just want to get noticed, period. Maybe it's a combination of a few, many, or all of these.

Whatever it is, define it.

We don't train merely to build muscles. We train to build feelings. Muscles evoke these feelings, and that's why we want them.

I now want you to focus not only on the physical aspects of your new body, but also, the emotional aspects of your new body. I want you to focus on the feelings that are associated with that body.

Find that feeling. Search it out, and pull it from your brain.

Now feel that feeling.

Focus intensely not only on your new body, but on how it feels to have that new body.

Soak it up. Magnify it. Let the feeling consume you.

Create scenarios in your mind of what life will be like once you achieve this new physique. If your goal is to gain more attention from the opposite sex, imagine it happening. For example, maybe you're at the beach and you notice that women are eyeing you out whenever you walk by. Or maybe a female friend compliments you on how huge your arms are. Transport yourself to these situations and experience them. Focus on the benefits of your new body. After all, the benefits are what you are out to capture, not merely the body itself.

Now, hold that thought!

3) Verbalize It.

Keep your eyes closed. Continue to visualize your new body and the feelings that are associated with it.

Focus very hard on it.

Now I want you to take all of those positive thoughts and feelings you are experiencing, and verbalize them. You may find this embarrassing to do, but this a very important part of the entire process.

I want you to say out loud everything that you are experiencing and make sure to say it as if it has already come true.

Don't just say it, believe it.

It might sound something like this…

"My body is thick, muscular, defined and strong. I have massive shoulders, a thick, chiseled chest, gigantic, vascular arms and a ripped, 6-pack stomach. My legs are like tree trunks; wide and powerful, and my calves protrude like footballs. I feel strong, powerful and confident. I'm going to walk up to every person who ever poked fun at me for my size and watch the disbelief on their faces. I'm enjoying comments from friends and family who have noticed the impressive results I've achieved. I can talk to women with full confidence because I know that they think I look good. My life has completely changed for the better."

By clearly visualizing your goals, experiencing the feelings of reaching them, and then verbalizing them with concrete words, you will literally create a surge of emotion-producing chemicals within your body. This surge will help to physically reaffirm your goals and will always remind you of why you are putting in the work that you'll be putting in.

You should repeat this process at least once a day (or as often as you'd like) so that you never lose sight of you what you are trying to accomplish, and so that you always keep your mind on the right track.

MuscleGainTruth.com

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj

"Learn How To Condition The Most Important 'Muscle' Of All... Your MIND!"

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 02 May 2007 23:50:00 +0000

Dear Fellow Muscle-Builder,

"Whether or not you believe you can do a thing, you are right".

Those are the famous words of Henry Ford.

He was right.

If there's one thing I've learned through my own personal bodybuilding experience and in all of the years I've spent helping others reach their goals, that would be it.

I've learned that if you truly believe you can accomplish something... if you believe in yourself and in your ability to succeed... if you want it badly enough... then nothing and no one can stop you.

I've learned that if you fully believe that you can achieve a certain goal, and you truly want it, it's yours for the taking.

I've learned that building an impressive, muscular physique is ultimately an inner battle that is only won by those who possess a strong, positive mindset.

And the final thing that I've learned in my interactions with thousands of aspiring gym trainees from all over the world is that the majority of people do NOT possess the type of mindset that is necessary for muscle-building success to be had.

Most people have conditioned themselves to think negatively and have unintentionally "pre-programmed" themselves for failure. They've bombarded their subconscious mind with self-defeating statements and limitations, and this negative way of thinking dramatically decreases their chances of ever attaining the body they desire.

The world is full of people with unrealized potential.

It is filled with people who are stuck in the middle, living lives of mediocrity and never moving forward and turning their deep-down desires into reality. And the reason for this is that most people simply possess a weak mindset.

Here's the thing... If you don't believe you can achieve the body that you desire, then you WON'T achieve it. If you don't know how to get yourself motivated and stay motivated, you're virtually guaranteed to fail.

There are many powerful ways to condition your mind for success, and in this lesson I'm going to share one of my favourite ways.

We'll be taking a look at the process of Visualization and Verbalization, and how you can use these techniques to your advantage. This isn't science fiction fairytale fluff either... this is real-life stuff that has been proven to produce real, positive muscle-building results.

If you simply brush this procedure off and believe that it won't help you, you are sadly mistaken. Visualization and verbalization are two of the most widely used motivational techniques around and are utilized by virtually all of the top success coaches in the world.

You cannot embark on a journey that has no clear destination! So create that destination.

But more than simply creating that destination, you must truly believe that you will get there.

You must have faith in yourself, in your inner-strength and in your ability to succeed. If you do not truly believe with every fiber of your being that these goals you have envisioned can and will be attained, then you aren't ready to try and reach them.

Above and beyond simply believing is knowing.

You must let go of all doubts, inhibitions and fears and simply say to yourself, "I know I can do this."

And the truth is that you really, really can. The only thing that could possibly stop you is you yourself.

All of the tools that you need to achieve your goals are already present within you. All you need to do is to tap into those tools and put them to use.

Let go of your limits, and hold on to the belief that you can achieve anything you want.

And if you really, truly and fully believe this, anything is possible.

If you're ready to take a stand and finally achieve the powerful, muscular body that you deserve, then it's time to take action, right here, right now. It's time to put the excuses aside, get to work and start turning that ripped body you've been dreaming about into a reality.

This is it. The choice is yours.

You can grab your very own copy of my complete #1 best-selling muscle-building package, The Muscle Gain Truth No-Fail System, equip yourself with all of the most powerful strategies available for maximizing your muscle growth in the shortest period of time possible... And watch as your body, your mindset and your entire life dramatically changes for the better each passing week...

Or...

You can close this lesson, get up, walk away from your computer, and continue living your life unhappy with the way you look. You can continue to feel insecure and weak compared to everyone around you. You can ignore your deep-down desires and 20 years down the road wonder...

"What if?"

J.P Clifford (owner of one of the most popular program review sites online) recently had the chance to check out my product, and this is what he had to say...

"Follow Sean's Prescription and BIG Things Can Happen!"

"After reviewing dozens of online muscle building programs, most look to have been slapped together over a weekend.

Sean Nalewanyj's program is different. It is obvious that Sean has both the sincere desire and the ability to help others accomplish their bodybuilding goals.

From nutrition to training to supplements, Sean weeds out all the training B.S. that typically leads trainers astray. He leaves you with a highly effective muscle-building prescription that is on-target for quick and big muscle-building results. The program is thorough, well-organized and, most importantly, highly effective.

Follow Sean's prescription and big things can happen."
JP Clifford
Online Bodybuilding Program Reviewer

Not only will you receive a copy of this best-selling e-book, but you'll also have the chance to download a very special add-on, "Inner Game: Psychological Strategies For Bodybuilding Success".

This special 61-page report outlines a complete step-by-step process for getting yourself highly motivated and staying that way over the long run using strategies such as goal-setting, affirmations, subconscious conditioning, mental workout techniques and more.

Click Here for more details.

You've just been taught a very valuable process for conditioning your mindset using the incredible power of visualization and verbalization.

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj

"Melt Away Excess Body Fat And Leave Your Muscles Rock-Solid, Shape And Defined!"

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 15:46:00 +0000

Dear Fellow Muscle-Builder,

A very common question that I'm often asked is...

"How can I build muscle AND lose fat at the same time?"

Well, the unfortunate answer is that achieving both of these goals simultaneously is extremely difficult, if not impossible to accomplish. In order to build muscle, you must consume more calories than you burn, and in order to lose fat you must consume fewer calories than you burn.

Obviously you can't have both a caloric surplus and a caloric deficit going on at the same time within your body, so you can see the conflict here.

Don't be fooled by all of the marketing ploys about "building 30 pounds of muscle while dropping 25 pounds fat". This is nothing more than B.S. hype designed to mislead you and arouse your interest. It's certainly possible to increase your lean muscle mass AND burn off excess body fat, but you simply cannot do them both at the exact same time.

The best approach is to train in "cycles", by focusing on building overall size for a period of time, and then focusing on burning off excess fat for a period of time.

Everything we've covered up to this point has focused on the concepts of building overall muscle size, and that's why I wanted to create a special installment to give you some tips and tricks for implementing a proper "cutting phase" and burning off the inevitable excess fat that arises from a caloric surplus.

The good news is that this fat can easily be dropped with a few dietary manipulations and the utilization of cardiovascular workouts. Also, since you've now put on some solid muscle size, burning fat becomes even easier. Your muscles are basically giant furnaces where fat metabolism takes place, and the more muscle that you build, the faster your metabolism will become.

Once you've built your body to a size that you're happy with, here a few things you can do to strip off the excess body fat that you have gained while maintaining the majority of the muscle mass you've developed...

Perform 3-5 cardio workouts per week.

This would seem like common knowledge, however, it's very important that you perform the right type of cardio workouts. The traditional 45 minute, moderate intensity sessions really are not the best way to burn fat and maintain muscle mass. These sessions are highly catabolic to your muscle tissue and do not have a significant impact on your resting metabolism.

You should instead focus on performing shorter, more intense cardio sessions. These sessions will minimize muscle breakdown and will also stimulate your body to burn more fat while you are at rest. The key thing for you to realize here is that the fat burning benefit of cardio is mainly due to the effect that it has on your resting metabolism and NOT due to the actual calories burned during the session.

Choose a basic piece of cardio equipment that doesn't require a lot of "skill" to perform, such as a stationary bike or stair stepper. This will keep the session as safe as possible. Perform 15 minutes of high intensity cardio on the "interval" setting, and focus on increasing the intensity in each successive workout by either traveling a farther distance or increasing the resistance on the machine.

Lower your caloric intake.

If you want to burn fat then you need to consume fewer calories than you burn. This can be accomplished by creating a slight caloric deficit within the body. Your goal is not to drastically lower your calories and starve yourself, but to gradually burn fat over time.

Make sure to continue eating frequently with 5-7 small meals per day, but decrease the actual volume of each meal so that your total caloric intake is lower. You should also make sure to minimize your intake of simple sugars and saturated fats.

Increase your water intake.

This will keep your muscle cells hydrated at all times and will keep your metabolism at peak rates. Increased water intake will also "fill you up" so that you won't be tempted to consume quite as many calories at each meal.

Here are a few other quick fat loss tips...

Increase your vegetable intake.
Increase your consumption of low-fat dairy foods.
Always eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking.
Consume a large portion of your daily calories in the few hours following a workout.
Increase your meal frequency.

These all seem like simple strategies, and they are. But the truth is that most trainees go about their "cutting phase" in a completely counterproductive angle. They're usually successful at burning body fat, but since they fail to properly structure their diet and cardio they also end up wasting away huge amounts of lean muscle tissue in the process.

This is not a good thing!

Most of the other muscle-building programs on the web today focus only on the "size-gaining" aspect of achieving a muscular physique.

But what good is a muscular physique without the proper cuts, lines and definition?

After you've gained a considerable amount of overall body weight it's almost certain that you'll want to implement a cutting phase so that you can strip off the excess body fat you've gained to reveal those rock-hard muscles you worked so hard to build.

Luckily, when you purchase The Muscle Gain Truth No-Fail System, you'll also have a chance to download a special fat loss e-book entitled "Metabolic Blast". This step-by-step report outlines everything you'll need to know in order to melt off body fat like a hot knife through butter while maintaining your hard-earned muscle tissue in the process.

You'll learn in detail exactly how to...

Structure and track your cardio workouts for maximum effectiveness
Plan out a proper fat burning diet that doesn't sacrifice lean muscle tissue
Develop a stunning set of ripped, six-pack abs
Mold the type of body that draws in sexy, gorgeous women like a magnet.

...Plus a whole bunch of other useful fat burning tips!

Click Here for more details.

We've just covered some simple but powerful fat burning tips that you can implement into your "cutting phase" in order to burn off excess body fat and define your muscles.

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj

"Warning: You've Been Lied To! Learn The Truth About These Common Muscle-Building Myths..."

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 23:01:00 +0000

Dear Fellow Muscle-Builder,

If you're truly serious about making a solid commitment to a muscle-building program, you need to be very careful of who you take advice from. Bodybuilding and fitness is literally a multi-billion dollar industry with new websites popping up every single day.

Many of the so-called “experts” out there really don't have a clue of what they're talking about and are only motivated by pushing expensive pills, powders and “miracle programs” on you that you don't really need in order to make a quick overnight buck.

If you don't watch your step you may end up falling for some fatal muscle-building pitfalls that will literally destroy your gains and prevent you from ever achieving the impressive, muscular physique you desire.

In this installment I'm going to cut through the hype and expose 5 very common muscle-building myths in order to keep you on the proper path to the mind-blowing muscle and strength gains you deserve...

Myth #1: In order to build muscle, you must achieve a "pump" during your workout. The greater the pump you achieve, the more muscle you will build.

For those of you who are just starting out, a “pump” is the feeling that you get as blood becomes trapped inside the muscle tissue when you train with weights. The muscles will swell up, increase in both size and vascularity and will leave your body feeling bigger, tighter, stronger and more powerful.

While a pump does feel fantastic, the truth is that it has very little, if anything to do with properly stimulating your muscles to grow. A pump is simply the result of increased bloodflow to the muscle tissue and is certainly not indicative of a successful workout. A huge pump in the gym does NOT mean that you've had a successful workout, and a small pump does NOT mean that you haven't had a successful workout.

A successful workout should only be gauged by the concept of progression. If you were able to lift more weight or perform more reps than you did in the previous week, you did your job.

Myth #2: If you want your muscles to grow you must “feel the burn!”

This is another huge misconception in the gym. The “burning” sensation that results from intense weight training is simply the result of lactic acid (a metabolic waste product) that is secreted inside the muscle tissue as you exercise.

Increased levels of lactic acid have very little to do with muscle growth and may actually slow down your gains rather than speed them up. You can limit lactic acid production by training using lower reps rather than the traditional range of 10 and above.

Myth #3: You must always use perfect, textbook form on all exercises.

While using good form in the gym is always important, obsessing over perfect form is an entirely different matter. If you're always attempting to perform every exercise using flawless, textbook form, you will actually increase your chances of injury and simultaneously decrease the total amount of muscle stimulation you can achieve.

Remember, we are not robots!

It's very important that you always move naturally when you exercise. This could mean adding a very slight sway in your back when you perform bicep curls, or using a tiny bit of body momentum when executing barbell rows.

Loosen yourself up a bit and move the way your body was meant to be moved. Obsessing over perfect form will actually work against you rather than for you.

Myth #4: Building muscle will cause you to become slower and less flexible.

This one goes back to the old days when people described bodybuilders as being “muscle bound” and “bulky”. Contrary to what you may think, building a significant amount of lean muscle mass will actually speed you up rather than slow you down.

Muscles are responsible for every movement that your body makes, from running to jumping to throwing. The bottom line is that the stronger a muscle is, the more force it can apply. Having stronger, more muscular legs means increased foot speed, just as having stronger and more muscular shoulders means the ability to throw farther.

Strong muscles are able muscles, not the other way around.

Myth #5: In order to achieve an impressive physique, you should use the same techniques as the "buff" guys at the gym or the bodybuilders in the magazines.

It's very important for you to realize that just because a fellow lifter at the gym is strong and muscular does not necessarily mean that they are highly knowledgable and are doing things "correctly". Genetics play a very large role in the muscle-building process, and some people can develop an impressive physique no matter how they train.

I've seen guys train 2 days a week, pay very little attention to their diets, get drunk every weekend and still have a muscular, rock-solid build. These are simply the people who were lucky enough to be blessed with superior muscle-building genetics.

As for professional bodybuilders, that's a completely different story. Virtually every single bodybuilder that you see posted across the pages of your favourite muscle magazine has enhanced their recovery ability using various steroids and hormones, and in very high amounts. For natural trainees with average genetics, following the routines of pro bodybuilders would be, quite simply, muscle-building suicide.

For the rest of us mere mortals, a sensible, logical, rational routine just like I've been outlining in this course is by far the best approach.

I hope this installment has cleared up some of the confusion you may have previously had, but the reality is that these 5 myths are just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much bogus and downright counterproductive muscle-building information floating around out there that it literally scares me sometimes.

I understand just how frustrating and difficult it can be to find a reliable source of natural bodybuilding information out there (trust me, I was there once!), and that's exactly why I wrote The Truth About Building Muscle. It's a 249-page, step-by-step e-book that cuts straight through the hype and lays out the honest facts about how you can maximize your ability to build muscle and burn fat in the shortest time possible. It's the main component of The Muscle Gain Truth No-Fail System.

Click Here for more details.

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj

"Instantly Accelerate Your Muscle Gains By Naturally Boosting Your Testosterone Levels!"

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 20:12:00 +0000

Dear Fellow Muscle-Builder,

If there's one substance in the body that could be considered the "Holy Grail" of muscle growth, testosterone would be it. It is without a doubt the most important hormone involved in building muscle, and is one of the limiting factors that determines how much muscle a person can gain.

The reality is that we all posses different levels of this powerful hormone, and aside from poking yourself with a chemically enhanced needle, it can be difficult to control these levels.

In this installment I'm going to cover some basic, scientifically backed methods that will allow you to naturally raise your body's levels of testosterone. These increased levels will almost certainly have a positive impact on your resulting muscle gains. In addition to increasing your lean muscle mass, raised testosterone levels also have the following benefits...

Decreased body fat levels
Increased sex drive and sexual endurance
Improved mood
Decreased levels of "bad" cholesterol

Now, I certainly do not claim that using these methods will result in "steroid-like effects" or that they will allow you to pack on an extra 20 pounds of muscle in 2 months, but they will certainly help to speed up your overall progress both in and out of the gym. Anyone who tries to tell you that you can achieve the same effects as steroids by using anything other than steroids is completely full of it. Don't believe the hype!

Before we get into the actual methods of increasing testosterone levels, let's first cover some quick biology so that we're all on the same page. Here is how the body produces testosterone:

1) The brain releases LH (luteinizing hormone) and this "tells" the body to start producing testosterone.
2) The adrenal glands release DHEA into the bloodstream.
3) LH and DHEA travel together to the testes where testosterone production begins.
4) Testosterone is then released into the bloodstream.

So without further ado, here are some basic methods you can implement in order to naturally raise your body's levels of testosterone and take advantage of all of its amazing benefits. I've broken this up into 3 separate categories: training, diet and lifestyle.

Training

1) Place the majority of your emphasis in the gym on big, basic compound movements. These basic exercises will place your body under the greatest amount of stress in the gym, and this will force your body to secrete higher amounts of testosterone. Isolation exercises can have their place, but compound movements should be the cornerstone of your workouts.

2) Always train with full effort and intensity. Whether you're performing a compound movement or an isolation movement, you must always push yourself hard in the gym by taking all of your sets to the point of concentric muscular failure. The more stress you place on your body in the gym (without crossing the point of recovery), the greater your testosterone production will be.

3) Train your legs equally as hard as your upper body. Leg training can be extremely difficult to execute with a high level of intensity, but the rewards are great when you do. Push yourself hard on basic leg exercises like the squat and leg press in order to stimulate the release of testosterone.

Diet

1) Increase your consumption of Essential Fatty Acids. When most people structure their muscle-building diet, they almost always follow the idea of "high protein and low-fat". Big mistake! Fats play a critical role in the muscle-building process and have a direct impact on testosterone levels. You should be consuming about 25% of your daily calories from healthy, unsaturated fat sources such as peanuts, avocados and fish as well as nutritional oils like flax seed, olive and canola.

2) Reduce your intake of soy. Soy protein raises your body's levels of estrogen (the main female hormone). When the body's production of estrogen increases, testosterone levels plummet. Avoid soy products as much as possible in order to keep your estrogen levels low and testosterone levels high.

3) Limit alcohol consumption. Alcohol has been shown to have quite a dramatic effect on testosterone levels, so try to limit your "binge drinking" nights and keep your alcohol consumption in moderation.

4) Increase your consumption of cruciferous vegetables. These vegetables have been shown to have a significant estrogen-reducing effect, thereby raising testosterone. Some good choices are broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, turnips, cabbage and brussel sprouts.

5) Eat smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day. Rather than eating the traditional "3 square meals a day", try consuming 5-7 smaller meals spaced out every 2-3 hours. This will keep your body in an anabolic state at all times and will keep testosterone levels peaked.

Lifestyle

1) Lower your levels of stress. Stress contributes to the release of a highly catabolic hormone called cortisol which has a highly negative effect on testosterone levels.

2) Increase your sexual activity. Sexual stimulation causes the body to increase the production of oxytocin which then increases endorphin production (the "feel-good" chemical), and this has a direct impact on testosterone secretion.

3) Get adequate sleep every night. Failing to provide your body with proper sleep each night will raise cortisol levels, and this in turn will decrease your testosterone production. A solid, restful 8 hours of sleep every night will keep your cortisol levels in check.

Wrapping It Up

There you have it, a few basic, easy-to-follow guidelines for increasing your testosterone levels naturally.

Start implementing some of these techniques on a consistent basis and you should experience a noticeable improvement in your muscle and strength gains as well as your overall mood and sexual performance.

This is just one of the many simple but powerful methods for achieving a lean and muscular physique outlined in my complete program, The Muscle Gain Truth No-Fail System. If you've made it this far and still haven't grabbed a copy of this package, I'd highly suggest doing so if you really want to make a difference in your physique.

Click Here for more details.

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj

"Learn Which Supplements Are Worth Your Money And Which Are Nothing More Than Pure Hype!"

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 23:44:00 +0000

Dear Fellow Muscle-Builder,

Nothing is more confusing in the world of bodybuilding than the all-too controversial topic of muscle-building supplementation. Just flip open any muscle magazine and you will be instantly flooded with endless advertisements for all kinds of pills, powders and liquids that promise dramatic gains in minimal time.

Health & fitness supplements are a multi-billion dollar industry, and their carefully planned out marketing campaigns have been sucking in good, honest people just like you for years.

Before I go any further, I want you to truly understand one important fact...

There are no shortcuts to any place worth going!

If your goal is to achieve a strong, muscular body, I guarantee that you will not get there by pounding back bodybuilding pills and powders. If supplements actually followed up on the promises that they made, everyone would be huge and muscular.

You might be thinking by now that I am completely against the use of supplements.

This is definitely not the case!

All I want you to realize is that supplements are just that: supplements. They are there to supplement your diet and fill in those missing gaps that whole food simply cannot provide.

If you're training hard and eating properly, supplements can definitely help you reach your goals faster than you would without them. However, supplements are not there to replace anything. They are simply there to give your program an extra boost.

The important thing is for you to learn which supplements are worth your money and which ones are not. But with the endless number of products out there and all of those greedy marketers trying to get their hands on your money, how can you possibly know who to listen to?

Luckily for you, that's what I'm here for!

Here are a few supplements that make the cut on my "approved" list...
=============================================
Multivitamins

While it may be true that natural foods contain all of the vitamins and minerals necessary for an average person to stay fit and healthy, those who train intensely with weights have much higher nutritional requirements. Intense workout sessions place heavy demands on the body, and therefore greater amounts of vitamins and minerals are necessary to allow for optimal performance and recovery.

Taking a high-potency multivitamin everyday is a great way to make sure that you're receiving all of the vitamins you need. Vitamins perform literally thousands of functions within your body that are not only important to overall health but are critical in the muscle-growth process.

Protein Supplements

If you're looking to add a considerable amount of muscle to your frame, you will need to eat roughly 1-2 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight every day, which should be spaced out over 5-7 meals. This is extremely difficult to do using strictly whole-foods, and this is where protein supplements come in handy.

Whey shakes, meal replacements and protein bars will allow you to easily boost your protein intake and consume a quick meal without endless preparation and cooking.

Creatine

Creatine is found naturally in fish and red meat, but in order to obtain a significant amount you'd have to eat a lot of these foods. Creatine is the most researched sports supplement available and has been shown time and time again to be both safe and highly effective.

Creatine will aid you in building muscle by hydrating your muscle cells, increasing your short-term energy stores, buffering the effects of lactic acid and by improving your recovery.

For the best results, use 5 grams daily.

Glutamine

Glutamine is an amino acid (one of the building blocks of protein) and is very effective at preventing the breakdown of muscle tissue. Whenever you exercise intensely, your body's levels of glutamine rapidly decrease and your body will break down muscle tissue to restore its glutamine levels as a result.

By supplementing with 5-10 grams of glutamine every day, you can keep your hard-earned muscle intact.

Essential Fatty Acids

Otherwise known as the "good fats", essential fatty acids are highly beneficial to the muscle growth process. Among their many positive effects on overall health, EFA's can help to speed up your results by increasing testosterone levels, improving your metabolism and volumizing your muscle cells. Flax seed oil and extra virgin olive oil are great sources of EFA's.
=============================================
These are just a few of the basic, proven supplements that will help to enhance your gains. Just remember, supplements will NOT do the work for you! They are just one small piece of a much larger puzzle.

It's also very important to remember that there are far more worthless supplements out there than there are legit ones. Every month a new company comes out with some new "revolutionary breakthrough" that promises huge gains. You must be aware of this and not allow yourself to get sucked into the never-ending mass of marketing B.S.

Here are a few supplements that are marketed heavily but that you should definitely avoid...

Citrulline - Considered "the next big thing in bodybuilding", citrulline supposedly works by increasing the body's levels of nitric oxide, which translates into greater power output and muscle growth. Sounds great, except for the fact that there isn't a single study out there that supports its benefits.

Ecdysterone - Ecdysterone is what is known as a "plant sterol": a compound found in plants that is structurally similar to anabolic human steroids such as testosterone. After various tests and studies, most scientists concluded that ecdysterone simply did not have any anabolic effect on humans whatsoever.

Myostatin Blockers - Mysotatin is a protein that codes to limit the amount of muscle a person can gain. Supplement companies have created pills called "myostatin blockers" that supposedly limited the activity of the myostatin gene. So far there is no evidence to support the effectiveness of these pills.

Make sure to choose your supplements carefully. Here are a few other products that I would generally suggest steering clear of...

tyrosine
chromium picolinate
taurine
methoxy

The supplementation issue is a tricky one, and that's why I took the time to personally review and evaluate 23 of the most popular muscle-building supplements on the market today. These reviews can be found in chapter 5 of my complete e-book, The Truth About Building Muscle.

All of the products are separated into 4 organized categories that rank each product based on its effectiveness. This could potentially save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars of your hard-earned money by allowing you to only spend it on products that are going to have an appreciable effect on your results.

The e-book contains a full review and indepth look at all of the following products:

- Whey Protein
- Creatine
- Multivitamins
- HMB
- Citrulline
- ZMA

- Meal Replacements
- Glutamine
- N02
- Methoxy
- Tyrosine
- Ecdysterone

- Protein Bars
- Glucosamine
- Caffeine
- Taurine
- Chromium Picolinate
- Carnitine

- EFA's
- Tribulus
- CLA
- Myostatin Blockers
- BCAA's

Click Here for more detail on The Muscle Gain Truth No-Fail System.

We've now outlined 5 of my "approved" muscle-building supplements and we also talked about a few products that are marketed heavily but should be avoided.

Lesson #5 should arrive soon and will teach you some proven, step-by-step methods for naturally increasing your body's production of a highly anabolic substance that is considered to be the "holy grail" of muscle growth.

Talk to you soon,

Best regards,

Sean Nalewanyj