The Nate Green Experience

Look the Part – 5 Tips to Train Like a Fighter

This is a guest post by Luka Hocevar.

I've always been a big fan of mixed martial arts and even though basketball was my favorite sport and the one I ended up pursuing, I grew up taking judo, kickboxing and karate for years.

Apart from liking the arts, I also did it because I wanted to be a bad ass. I actually ended up getting into way too much shit where I thought I could use my skills. (Not recommended.)

Things have come full circle and not only have I picked up MMA training again but I also train quite a few MMA fighters and wrestlers. I've learned from some of the top MMA strength and conditioning coaches around the world and have put their methods to the test with my athletes and myself

I go to many local fights and watch most of the top-level leagues where I like observe what the best guys are doing, as well as watching the most common mistakes fighters make when it comes to strength and conditioning.

It's simply amazing how so many of the fighters perfect their craft but do not pay much attention to the conditioning, psychology, mental toughness, recovery and nutritional aspects of being a champion at their sport. I bet you're the same way in the gym.

Check out these five tips, learn just how similar MMA and weight training are, and use them to make yourself a better athlete and weight lifter.

Combat is abusive and training doesn’t need to add to the trauma.

Training should bulletproof the body, improve its performance and not tear it down past recovery.

This is why it’s important to plan training around recovery rather than the other way around. Training is the stimulus while recovery is when the body truly adapts. Very few fighters and regular gym-goes overtrain but many under recover.

MMA training requires strength, conditioning, speed, technique and tactics.

Most fighters focus only on a couple of these factors (mostly conditioning, technique and tactics) which iswhy they are short changing themselves and limiting their own potential in the sport. I bet you're doing the same thing by only focusing on strength when you should also consider flexibility and conditioning.

The majority of fighters I see need to improve their maximum and relative strength. This will improve speed and power and increase the potential for speed, power and strength endurance. If you do not posses those qualities but are conditioned, what are you really enduring? Low power and strength? Good luck in the cage...

If you have a 3-round fight then don’t train for 10 rounds!

This is something I hear very often: “I train to fight 10 rounds so that 3 rounds seem easy”. If that’s your thought process then don’t be surprised when you get you ass beat in the first or second round when you gas out. If you have a 3 round fight then train to fight and perform at a level that no one will be able to match for 3 rounds.

That also means you have to train with a purpose, make the training session short, intense and that every action is done with full dedication. This is a lot harder to execute than you think, but it’s the best practice. You have to be careful of traditionalists who may extend their training to 3 or 4 hours, of which 10% may have a purpose.

You should stay between 5 and 7 percent of your fighting weight all year round.

That means no huge bulking diets that just add fat! Unfortunately too many fighters and would-be fighters take longer breaks after fights where nutrition and training takes a back seat (sometimes waaaay back) only to bust their ass and drop weight for the next fight.

Become a strong and healthy fighter at your natural weight and let others be sick, weak fighters that drop to lighter weights.

To be a successful MMA athlete or hardcore weight trainer, you have to be a part of a good team.

That means befriending strength and conditioning coaches, sport coaches, therapists, and like-minded guys.

Everyone has to work together and communicate so that it's in the best interest of the fighter. I can’t tell you how many times there will be a split camp where the skills coach does his own thing and disagrees with the strength coach who goes against what everyone else is doing. This not only hurts the fighter but the team as well.

What other parallels can you draw between MMA athletes and regular guys who pump iron in the gym? Let us know in the comments!

(To read and post comments for this entry, visit thenategreenexperience.com)

How I Got Here (And How You Can Too)

The E-mail that Changed Everything

It's March 2007 and I'm sitting at my kitchen table drinking green tea and looking over one of my client's programs on my Mac. My personal training business is going incredibly well and I'm making a modest full-time living as my own boss at 21 years old. Thanks to my hard-work, tendency to work crazy hours, and most important, the advice of my mentors, I'm finally starting to get somewhere in the fitness field.

An e-mail message suddenly pings up, and while I usually ignore these, I see it's from my uber-mentor and fitness business expert Alwyn Cosgrove. So I check it. It's only one sentence long.

"How would you like to be in Men's Health magazine?"

I read it again. And again.

"Are you kidding me?!" I yell.

Then I type it on the screen because I'm fairly certain Alwyn can't hear me through the computer.

How Alwyn Helped me Get to Where I Am Today

It had only been a year since I first met Alwyn at a fitness seminar and already he had been the driving force behind much of my success. It was at a conference in Washington DC where I introduced myself and handed him a psychology book, Stumbling on Happiness. Little did I know that it was me who was about to do the stumbling.

That one meeting transpired into me seeking him out and hiring him for business coaching and life advice. I mean, the guy has one of the most successful personal training studios in the country and is a world-renowned speaker, author, and coach. It would have been stupid for me not to hire him! And as a guy who once took out a bank loan to go to a seminar, I knew the value of Alwyn's teachings would greatly outweigh the initial cost.

The instruction I gleaned from our e-mails, in-person consultations, and phone calls helped me to achieve some of the greatest things in my life including:

- Opening my own profitable personal training studio with over 40 clients
- Submitting to Men's Health, Men's Fitness, and Maximum Fitness magazines
- Signing a major fitness book deal with one of the world's largest publishers
- Securing a contributing editor and writing position with TMUSCLE.com
- Designing and selling Standing on the Shoulders of Giants my first product to help up-and-coming personal trainers

Here's How I'm Paying it Forward to You

Almost three years have passed since I first had the privilege of meeting Alwyn Cosgrove and he still helps me when I'm stuck in a tough situation. He gives me advice and only urges me to "Pay it forward."

"Just help the other guys who are trying to come up, Nate," he tells me often. "Pay it forward and keep the momentum going."

That's why when I heard he was offering a full-blown mentorship program where he teaches his exact business systems, I had to let you know about it.

It's very prestigious and exclusive which is why he only accepts 10 people for each program. You can check out all that comes with the Level One Mentorship here.

Believe me, if you have any hope on making it far in the fitness industry, Alwyn Cosgrove is the best coach there is. Remember what he helped me to do? Well, that's just small potatoes compared to what you're capable of.

Check it out and sign up. It'll change your life.

And for those of you who can't commit to the Mentorship program, be sure to pick up Alwyn's 55 Business Tips book. It's chock full of life-changing information and it's only 30 bucks.

(To read and post comments for this entry, visit thenategreenexperience.com)

Are You Missing Out?

I always joke that Glacier National Park is in my back yard. It's easy for me to take a day to hike a portion of the 700 miles of trails that wind through the park or to schedule a whitewater rafting trip or maybe just pack a picnic lunch and eat it next to a clear-water river.

The thing is, I rarely do it.

The thing is, I know people who've never done it despite living here most of their lives.

Maybe it's because the park is so close that people take it for granted. I know whenever I leave Montana for the city I can't wait to get back. It's just so, so...nice here. But oftentimes when I'm here, I'm anxious to get out.

And it's not just me with the weird mindset.

I was in New York this past weekend and talked with a few guys who've lived in the City their whole lives and have never ventured to the Statue of Liberty. Even more interesting, the farthest these guys ever traveled from home was when they crossed the river into Jersey for what I can only imagine was hair gel and wife-beater tank tops.

(Yeah, I know the Statue of Liberty is rife with jackass tourists, but I'm sure there's something else to go see.)

So after thinking about all of this on the plane back to Montana, I decided to step a little out of my comfort zone and start taking advantage of where I live. I drove the two hours back to my hometown of Whitefish for the fourth of July and took my dad up on his offer to do a six-mile hike up to Apgar Lookout in Glacier.

I invited my friend, web designer, and Glacier Park newbie Jason Lengstorf and his little sister to join my dad, my brother, and me on the hike.

And despite the scorching sun, the lack of water and food (we did not plan ahead), and sore-as-shit legs, we all had a great time.

In fact, I don't know why I don't hike more often.

So from here on, I plan on taking advantage of the Montana outdoors. Whether it's hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, or just playing frisbee or eating lunch in the park, I'm going to start venturing out a bit more to see what I've been missing in my back yard.

Maybe you should too.

++++

Do you have any national parks, museums, or any other cool attraction that's really close by that you've never explored? Let me know in the comments!

(To read and post comments for this entry, visit thenategreenexperience.com)

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

Two years ago I released Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, a collection of professional, instant-download audio interviews I did with some of the fitness industry's elite members. It was an amazing resource for anyone interested in making a career out of personal training or writing about fitness.

It sold for $97.00 and was hugely successful, but because I was in the mix of writing for magazines, training clients, and launching a new blog, I only left it up for a couple of months before I got too busy and took it down.

But over the past year I've received quite a few emails begging me reintroduce it.

So I am.

And because I know what it's like to be an aspiring trainer trying to build a name for himself while juggling finances, I want to slash the cost by nearly half.

Starting today, Standing on the Shoulders of Giants is available for only $49.99.

And because I don’t like writing long sales copy and just want to kick you the real deal, I'll just say this:

If you're a young trainer, an up-and-coming writer, or just someone who really wants to know how to skyrocket to the top of the fitness industry, you need these audios. These are the people I talked with who helped get me where I am today. Every interview is nearly an hour long and covers everything you could possibly want to know about becoming successful in the fitness industry.

This is just a very small fraction of what you'll learn from listening to Standing on the Shoulders of Giants:

- Learn the single most valuable piece of information most trainers never even consider and how it's directly harming your business and sales.

- Find out how one trainer transformed from a regular trainer to an extremely successful entrepreneur with over 11,000 members on her member-based website in just over two years.

- Discover a proven way to double your income right away with exactly what you have in your possession.

- Learn the crucial difference between the two styles of magazine writers and exactly where you fall. (This could very well be the deciding factor whether your writing graces the magazine racks or not!)

- Find out what your most valuable asset is (its right under your nose) and how to use it immediately to make more money.

- Work your way up through the ranks in the smartest and most efficient way. Discover what one trainer suggests for those "just starting out" that will undoubtedly catapult them to the forefront of their prospect's minds.

- Learn how to define an airtight niche that will make you the go-to-guy in any situation.

- Yearning to write an article for a prestigious national magazine? Learn three things you must never do if you want your chance.

- How to find that right blend of technical training and the right personality to become extremely successful with any client.

- Discover the absolutely most vital aspect of your sales letter and how to use it to your full advantage.

After I show you who's on the list, scroll down to see what other trainers and coaches have said about Standing on the Shoulders of Giants. Their words speak louder than mine ever could. (And I've got one hell of a loud voice.)

Your new Rolodex:

Ryan Lee
Jim Labadie
Alwyn Cosgrove
Mike Boyle
Lou Schuler
Susan Hill
Pat Rigsby and Nick Berry
Craig Ballantyne
Bill Hartman
Chris Shugart

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants is the culmination of knowledge,
trial and error, experiences, and successes of the fitness industry's
elite that will undoubtedly save you countless months or even years of
toiling with mediocre results.

And just one idea could be worth thousands of dollars to you.

So what do you say?

Are you ready to jump light years ahead of the competition? Are you ready for your best year ever?

Are you ready do Stand on the Shoulders of Giants?

Note: Be sure to read the download instructions and follow them!

1. Click the "Buy Now" button
2. Log in to your PayPal account
3. Confirm the purchase
4. Click the link to return to The Nate Green Experience
5. You may get a prompt letting you know that you are leaving the encrypted page; this is not an issue. Click "OK".
6. You may get a prompt letting you know that you are attempting to access TheNateGreenExperience with a username; this is also not an issue. Click "OK".
7. You will arrive at the "Thank you for downloading" page, where you can download the interviews.

What top trainers and coaches are saying about Standing on the Shoulders of Giants:

"Standing on the Shoulders of Giants is THE BEST fitness info product you will buy this year, and quite possibly, EVER!

The tips in Alwyn Cosgrove's interview ALONE will net me over $1200 MORE PER YEAR, PER CLIENT! Add in the fact that you have other top-tier trainers, coaches, and businessmen, like Bill Hartman, Jim Labadie, Lou Schuler, and Craig Ballantyne, and you have an all-star line-up that will help you discover the keys to consistent business and personal growth in the years to come.

There are a ton of fitness info products out there, but this one is in a league of its own. If you're serious about growing your business, Standing on the Shoulders of Giants is a can't-miss resource you MUST HAVE in your arsenal.

Mike Robertson, M.S., C.S.C.S., U.S.A.W.
President, Robertson Training Systems
www.RobertsonTrainingSystems.com

"With Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, Nate Green has pulled together some fantastic minds from the industry to create an outstanding resource for anyone interested in making their mark in the fitness industry.

"Whether you're a trainer, coach, writer, gym owner, or combination of the four, you'll walk away from this resource with a ton of excellent information to take you to the next level and get a leg up on the competition.

"Don't look at this audio collection as an expense; look at it as an investment. It will save you thousands of dollars and countless hours of misdirected efforts."

Eric Cressey, MA, CSCS
Performance Enhancement Specialist - Boston, MA
www.EricCressey.com

"As a trainer who's relatively new to the industry, Standing on the Shoulders of Giants is simply one of the most valuable tools I've come across. The information presented from all the gurus is priceless.

"The audios helped me fast-forward through a few MAJOR costly and time-consuming mistakes and move right on to the success aspect!

"If you want to succeed in the fitness business this is, without a doubt, THE kit to help you do it.

"Thanks again, Nate!"

Sam Glauber
NSCA, CPT

"Nate Green has collected the most knowledgeable, creative and genuine people in our industry and allowed us to hear the inside story of what it really takes to be successful.

"The interviews are worth every minute and give you more than you ever anticipated. Standing on the Shoulders of Giants is a brilliant project and is one from which we all can benefit."

Cassandra E Forsythe
PhD candidate Kinesiology, MS Nutrition

"Over the past couple of years I've spent thousands of dollars traveling across the country to learn from and converse with the brightest minds in the fitness industry. One recurring theme emerged from these encounters stating that if you can glean even one useful piece of information from a book, interview or seminar then you have made a worthwhile investment.

"Nate has done a tremendous job with Standing on the Shoulders of Giants; each interview is packed with information that can be used to grow your business and avoid common pitfalls. Any trainer hoping to better himself and increase his income only has to invest in himself and apply the information contained in this set.

"Individually, every interview is worth the cost of the entire set as I picked up not one but multiple tips that will allow me to earn thousands of dollars and take my business to a new level!

"Thanks Nate!"

Mike Yuhaniak, CSCS
Strength Coach, John Hopkins University

(To read and post comments for this entry, visit thenategreenexperience.com)

Change a Little, Grow a Lot

Make sure to check out Chase's blog here.

I may be young but I've been in this game for over ten years. In my time trying to figure out how to put on large amounts of muscle I've had many failures and successes and I've narrowed my triumphs down to three things I'd like to share with you.

Lift less

You're probably busy with school, work, deciding on a career, starting a career, and definitely dating. It's no surprise that you're probably lacking free time, especially for things like shopping and cooking. If you're currently training four days a week or more and still having problems gaining muscle, I want you to take off one day from training.

Now that has sunk in, my reasoning behind this isn’t probably what you expected. As most of you know nutrition is a huge part of muscle building. With this extra time you have created I want you to take advantage of what planning and preparing your nutrition can do for your physique. I want you to follow this list weekly:

1. Sit down with a pencil and paper and schedule your meals for the week the best you can.
2. Make a grocery list containing these items.
3. Go to the grocery; purchase the items from your list.
4. Pre-cook (meats, potatoes, rice), measure (oats, nuts, etc.).
5. Store in Tupperware and/or baggies.
6. Actually eat the food.

Hitting a week of perfect lifting won’t do much for your muscle-building goals if your nutrition isn’t up to par.

Don’t Vary

Look at your training journal real quick. Is it a different training style or method every week? Or even worse, every workout? If so, then this is for you. Varying at times is good, but too much of a good thing can be bad. Trying to “confuse the muscle” every time doesn’t work. The muscle doesn’t even have a mind of its own to confuse. I was once guilty of varying too often and paid the price with no results.

I see guys come in the gym following a different workout every time. I don’t care what program you're following, just follow it long enough to get results.

Keep in mind that any good program should include the basics (squat, deadlift, bench, row, chins, dips). I meet a lot of guys who just need to focus on not varying and the basics of progressive overload. If you get really strong at the basics muscle will follow. This is a no-fail way to do so:

Each week try to beat the number of reps you performed with the same weight last week.

Once you reach the upper rep limit you want to obtain with all your sets, then increase the weight.

When increasing the weight, make small increases. Don’t throw a 25 on each side of the bar. Utilize the 2.5’s and 5’s.

Once your strength plateaus change up the exercises. Substitute back squats with front squats or flat bench press with incline bench press.

Repeat.

Some people may say it is impossible to continually get stronger forever and I agree. But how many people do you know that have reached their genetic potential for strength? Probably none. Show me a guy who can bench 350, squat 500 and deadlift 550 that is small. Stop varying, and start picking up heavy shit.

Meet someone (No, this isn't crappy dating advice.)

I've had my share of lifting partners over the years. The first guy was in high school. I would drive 30 minutes to pick him up, 30 minutes back to the gym, train over an hour, 30 minutes to take him home and then 30 minutes back to my place. I would put in well over 9 hours a week just to train! Why did I do this? Because he was a hell of a lifting partner. He was bigger and stronger than me. He was a lineman picking up big boy weights while I, well, I wasn’t picking up heavy shit,.

The accountability of having him waiting for me to pick him up to train was real motivation. I couldn’t back out. Even if I didn’t feel up to lifting that day, knowing I had to lift with someone stronger than me fired me up.

I've also had my share of shitty workout partners. The ones who tried to get me to do leg presses over squats, or even stood me up on leg day. (Ha! I made a joke!)

So how do you pick the perfect training partner? Well, they should:

Have similar goals
Be stronger than you (or the same)
Be on time and consistent
Motivate you and fire you up, not pull you down
Be in the gym to get shit done, not talk

Hopefully you've picked up at least one bit of info that you can act on immediately. These three steps will save you years of frustration and lead you to the body of your dreams quicker than you ever imagined.

What would your top three tips for gaining muscle be?

(To read and post comments for this entry, visit thenategreenexperience.com)

This Will Scare the Hell Out of You

Short blog post for today.

Watched this video, the Disappearing Male, last night.

Give it a watch.

Teaser:

The Disappearing Male is
a CBC documentary about one of the most important, and least
publicized, issues facing the human species: the toxic threat to the
male reproductive system. The last few decades have seen steady and
dramatic increases in the incidence of boys and young men suffering
from genital deformities, low sperm count, sperm abnormalities and
testicular cancer. At the same time, boys are now far more at risk of
suffering from ADHD, autism, Tourette's syndrome, cerebral palsy, and
dyslexia. The Disappearing Male takes a close and disturbing look at
what many doctors and researchers now suspect are responsible for many
of these problems: a class of common chemicals that are ubiquitous in
our world. Found in everything from shampoo, sunglasses, meat and dairy
products, carpet, cosmetics and baby bottles, they are called "hormone
mimicking" or "endocrine disrupting" chemicals and they may be starting
to damage the most basic building blocks of human development

(To read and post comments for this entry, visit thenategreenexperience.com)

Build the Ultimate Body - 4 and 5

Here's Step 1 or Steps 2 and 3 if you missed them.

Step 4 - Pick up the fork (or put it down), get some sleep, and recover

Eating the right foods at the right time is really the deciding factor on whether or not you'll reach your goals. All the workouts in the world won't do you damn bit of good if you're not tracking what you put into your mouth. Want to gain muscle? Here's a good rule of thumb:

Eat one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight
Consume around 80-90 grams of fat
Don't be afraid of carbs
Maximize your peri-workout window by consuming a ton of fast-acting carbs and high-quality protein right before your training session.

Want to lose fat? Try this:

Front-load your carbs by eating most of them in the morning
Switch to mostly fat, protein, and fibrous veggies in the afternoon and evening
Burn more total calories by adding in intervals, steady-state cardio, barbell complexes, long walks, or marathon sex sessions
Keep the protein at one gram per pound of bodyweight and the fat at 80-90 grams

Eating big and eating well is really not as hard as people make it out to be. Get yourself a good plan and jump right in.

And do I really have to mention sleep and recovery? I mean, really? Everyone knows you don't grow inside of the gym. Get your 7-9 hours, relax, don't stress out over stupid shit, take a hot Epsom salt bath, get a massage (with a happy ending), eat a big snack, and breathe deeper from you belly like a big boy.

Step 5 - Incorporate your new lifestyle into your old lifestyle

When I first started my transformation, I nearly alienated all of my friends. I didn't have time for a girlfriend, rarely went out and partied, never missed a workout, and passed on many dinners just so I could be nearly 100 percent compliant on my eating and training plan.

I believe it was necessary, but I also remember it being rather hellish.

It takes dedication and time to revamp your goals and your lifestyle. You will have to give up things you've always done and focus. But if you do it right, you emerge a better, more confident, bigger, leaner person with a new sense of direction and satisfaction.

Work on yourself first. Understand why you do what you do. And then, once you've torn yourself apart and built yourself back together, assimilate yourself back into your favorite parts of your old lifestyle while retaining all of your new lifestyle.

Go out and have a beer. Start dating more and caring less about the outcomes. Have some fun. Eat some dessert.

Get in. Hit it hard. Get out. Live your life.

What steps did I miss? Post yours below and share your thoughts!

(To read and post comments for this entry, visit thenategreenexperience.com)

Build the Ultimate Body - 2 and 3

Click here for Step 1.

Step 2 - Build a Solid Base

"Imagine this: Your best friend calls to tell you he’s just bought a 1973 Mustang convertible, midnight blue—a true classic. He asks you to come over to help him detail it. You walk over to his house, imagining that you’re going to put a little more sparkle onto a machine that’s already a work of art.

Then you walk into his garage and find a heap of oxidized metal propped up on cinder blocks. How the hell are you supposed to detail something that has more rust than paint?

Corny analogy aside, the average guy trying to build an attention-grabbing body needs to focus on the basics. Just as you can’t detail a car that’s three-quarters rust, you can’t put the finishing touches on a body that’s not yet built."

Sure, quoting your own book is a bit self-serving, but it works. Put down the Haterade.

I can't count how many e-mails I get from people who want to be "built for show" or who just want to have huge muscles but who say they weigh 150 pounds at 6 feet tall. Before you can do biceps curls and leg extensions (good exercises in the right measure, by the way) I feel like a solid base must be achieved.

The fitness industry loves to put together graphs and make guesses on where you should be according to your weight - you should be able to squat 405 if you weigh X, and so on - but I think that's too individualized to boil down into a specific set of numbers.

The best way I can describe "a solid base" is when you and others can really tell you work out. You need bigger legs, wider shoulders, and a general overall bulk. You should look like a moderately defined piece of clay. (How's that for esoteric?)

You should know how to properly perform all the main lifts like squats, deadlifts, pulls, and presses properly and use a decent amount of weight in each. (Decent, of course, is up to the individual. But if you can bench more than you squat and can't deadlift more than your bodyweight, you're not there yet.)

I feel the best way to build this base is total body training, at least to start. That could be three days per week doing mostly full-body exercises like in Built for Show or doing some kind of upper/lower split four days per week.

Sure, you can throw in some isolation movements like curls and stuff here and there. But they should not even be close to the bulk of your program. Finishing touches and maintaining muscle and improving presentation comes later. But, ironically, it's not Step Number 3.

Step 3 - Work Your Ass Off

Yes, this needs to be said.

I'm all for having a good time in the gym, especially when I'm warming up, but if you have time to laugh, joke, or gossip like a little girl, you're not even close to being as serious as you need to be.

Building muscle is hard. It takes focus.

So stop being a pussy.

And one final note: I'm not advocating being a dick or acting like this guy.

Just take a few deep breaths, concentrate on what you're trying to accomplish, turn up your headphones, and get to work. And if you have to steal a glance or two at the hot chick at the water fountain, just make sure it's between sets.

A bar loaded with 225 pounds hurts when it hits your chest.

What do you think of Steps 2 and 3? Do you think they should be different? What would you have put instead?

(To read and post comments for this entry, visit thenategreenexperience.com)

Build the Ultimate Body - Part 1

If you read this entry you already know how I started in the iron game and the training and nutritional programs I've used. In this next series of posts I'll show you the five steps you must go through to obtain the ultimate combination of aesthetics, strength, mobility, and athleticism. You know, just in case any of that stuff is important to you.

Step One - Understand why you're training

"The combination of well-developed muscle mass and minimal body fat (what anthropologists mean when they report that the indigenous males of a particular region are “jacked”) is a sign of reproductive fitness. It shows that you have more testosterone than the next guy, even if you don’t. The more primed women are for sex, the more they notice. (True fact: Published scientific research shows that women who’re ovulating are more attracted to the manliest men than they are at other times in their menstrual cycle.) If you’re Tarzan, she’s game."

Yes, that's an excerpt from my book, Built for Show. (Kudos to you if you recognized it.)

It's funny. One of the most common pieces of criticism I hear about Built for Show is that "looking good enough to hook up" is a horrible reason to train. Many hardcore guys seem to think that training solely to look good and pick up girls is juvenile and shallow. The thing is, I agree. Training only to impress the ladies is a bit shallow.

But many guys are flat-out delusional if they think they have no emotional stake in how they attract the opposite sex. I believe vanity and improving one's looks is one hell of a motivating factor. While it may seem like a fickle catalyst to start weight training, it gets most guys into the gym to train (or at least look at hot chicks in tight clothes).

But what keeps them in the gym long after the "hey, look at me!" phase? Passion. Physical transformation. Using weight training as an emotional outlet. Pushing and striving and burning to improve.

And if those are the benefits you can reap from training intensely with dedication I don't think it much matters how the hell you get into the gym. But once you understand why you're there, you'll realize what you lose if you slack off.

So what got you into the gym? Were you trying to impress the girls? Lose some fat? Gain some muscle? Let me know in the comments and look for Parts 2 and 3 on Wednesday!

(To read and post comments for this entry, visit thenategreenexperience.com)

My Favorite Online Reads

A few weeks ago I showed you what's on my bookshelf, and today I thought I'd venture to this here Interweb computer thingy and show you what I read online.

This isn't a full list of the blogs or articles I read but a short sample of some of my favorite articles or specific blog posts. Enjoy! (And make sure to add your own in the comments.)

TMUSCLE

My Speech to the Graduates 2004-2009 by TC Luoma

Slay the Dragon by TC Luoma

I Hear Dead People by Chris Shugart

If It's Not Cosgrove, It's Crap! by Alwyn Cosgrove

Four Hour Blog

Relax Like A Pro: 5 Steps to Hacking Your Sleep

Real Mind Control: The 21-Day No-Complaint Experiment

On the Shortness of Life: An Introduction to Seneca

Esquire

I Think You're Fat by AJ Jacobs

Lessons for a Young Drinker by Tom Chiarella

Give those a read and let me know what you think!

(To read and post comments for this entry, visit thenategreenexperience.com)

Nate Talks Training - The Beginning

What kind of training programs did you do when you first started?

You expect me to say something like "body-part splits", right? Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you. Really, I started with a program I got out of Men's Health magazine. I think The Rock was on the cover. No shit.

If I remember correctly, it was a three-day, full-body program that revolved around mainly compound movements like squats and deadlifts and presses. The funny thing is, I hated to deadlift. Hated it. I had no idea how to do it right and preferred to use the leg press. I have no idea why I thought it was a comparable exercise.

A few other things I'm now embarrased to admit:

- I didn't train legs for the first six months because "I do martial arts and hike and I don't need any more leg work." Yep. Smart.

- I did some variation of the bench press three times per week.

- I read that stretching made you lose power so I never stretched. Now I know better.

You followed a program from The Rock? Are you freakin' kidding me?

Nope.

But I quickly learned my lesson. I found TMUSCLE around 2003 and started on Chad Waterbury's "Anti-bodybuilding Hypertrophy Program."

This is when I started to read everything I could get my hands on. For those of you who read Built for Show, this is the time where I took a full year off from school, locked myself in my room, and did nothing but eat, sleep, read, and train. And masturbate. (Hey, my idea of a date was reading the NSCA-CPT manual and watching training videos. Not exactly a win with the ladies.)

So how much weight did you really gain?

I went from 145 pounds to my heaviest weight of 190 in about a year and a half. You can check out some progress photos in this article. I'm about 183 at 5'9" right now.

Got any bulking tips for me?

I don't really prescribe to the idea of "bulking" and "cutting" per se, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't try like hell to get as big as possible in those first couple of years. My abs slowly went away, but they never went far. I probably hovered around 12% body fat. Here are a few things that helped me.

- Ever hear of the "rock" analogy? You know, the one where the professor has a jar and he puts the big rocks in first, followed by the pebbles, and then the sand? Well, I looked at my body the same way -- there was always room for more. So after I ate a big meal, I'd immediately drink a two-serving protein shake. That's an extra 200 calories or so.

- I'd take shots of olive oil. Literally. I'd pour olive oil into a shot glass and slam it. It wasn't my proudest moment, but it did make me feel cool and freaked my mom out, which is always a plus.

- For some reason, I loved natural peanut butter, sugar-free jelly, and whole wheat sandwiches washed down with two glasses of 2% milk. I usually ate one of these before bed every night.

Is that healthy?

I no longer think it's optimal. I'd probably do a few things different like making sure I got enough fruits and veggies and ditching a lot of processed carbohydrates. But it worked pretty damn well.

When did your nutrition habits start to change?

I bought the Precision Nutrition package when it first came out and realized that I could actually eat healthy food that tasted great and was easy to make. (And the increased muscle and decreased fat didn't hurt, either.)

I think I was the only 20-year-old who could make Greek Burgers, 5-Alarm Chili, and badass scrambled eggs. You can check out more of my thoughts on that here.

What kinds of programs have you made the most gains on?

That's something I'll save for an upcoming blog post where I'll detail my current training program and what I think is needed to build the ultimate lean, muscular, athletic body.

So how'd you start training? Got any embarrassing stories? Let me know in the comments! Also, if you have any other questions you'd like me to answer, feel free to post them!

(To read and post comments for this entry, visit thenategreenexperience.com)

$10,000 For Building Muscle and Losing Fat?

When Dr. John Berardi dropped me a line the other day, telling me all about his new program, I thought for a second the guy had lost his mind.

Now, don't get me wrong. I respect Dr Berardi. He's recognized as one of the top nutrition coaches in the world. And his programs get people results. Fast.

However, when I watched this video he sent over, and learned that he's giving away $20,000 of his own money, he definitely got my attention.

Check out this blog post for yourself.

Now, to qualify for this reward, you have to participate in the Lean Eating program. But that's a no brainer. You should want to do that anyway if you're interested in body transformation because there's nothing else like it. As a guy who's gained over 40 pounds of muscle over the years, you can trust me on that.

You get 6 months of world class coaching, the type of coaching you can't find, well, anywhere. And, during these 6 months, if you achieve the best body transformation, you'll win 10K.

Worst case scenario, you come out with the best body of your life. Best case scenario, you come out with the best body of your life, and 10 grand.

So, I highly encourage you to check out this video. In it, Dr Berardi shares with you two critical components for body transformation success.

And then he tells you exactly how one man and one woman are going to swoop in and claim $10 G's of his own money.

Now, this message is time sensitive. No, it's not gonna self- destruct or anything. However, spots are limited in this program. And lots of people want in.

So, if you're interested in finding out exactly how to eat to get in the best shape of your life, check out the video. 10 grand may be waiting for you on the other side.

(To read and post comments for this entry, visit thenategreenexperience.com)

You're Going to Hurt Yourself

My shoulder used to pop. My hips used to snap. And I'm fairly certain at least some part of me crackled at some point. I was a walking, talking Rice Krispy treat.

Due to lifting heavy and driving myself into the ground to get bigger and stronger, my body had a lot of minor annoyances. They weren't big problems like a torn ACL or rotator cuff. Nah, these were small problems. You know, the real easy stuff to ignore.

And although I'm now pain-free, I know I'm not the only one who's had them. I can't count how many times I've heard a variation of the following sentence:

"My (shoulder, hip, knee, penis) gives me a little trouble. It'll be fine as soon as I warm it up, though."

Here's the kicker: those little annoyances can quickly turn into big problems that may eventually require surgery, physical therapy, or at best, a lifetime of minor pain.

When I started working with Mike Robertson a little less than a year ago, I saw some dramatic changes in not only the way I looked, but also the way I felt and performed.

The trick? Soft tissue work, dynamic flexibility, and mobility exercises. Not only did his specific combination of bullet-proof exercises feel like a workout, just adding in a few simple movements to the beginning of my lifting session helped me dramatically.

Mike charges a lot of money for one-on-one coaching. And since most of us can't afford that type of commitment, I looked for something more wallet-friendly and just as effective.

The Magnificent Mobility DVD is badass, pure and simple. In it, Mike and Eric Cressey go over a ton of exercises that serve as a sort of "bullet proof your body" system.

I own a copy. My friends all own copies. And whenever someone asks me about a bum shoulder, a clicking knee, or a sore lower back I recommend Magnificent Mobility to them, too.

Bottom line: invest in your body and it'll take care of you for the rest of your life. Trust me on that one.

(I can't help you with your defunct penis problem, though. You should probably ask a therapist about that one.)

Anyone else here have MM? What are your guys' thoughts? Let me know in the comments!

(To read and post comments for this entry, visit thenategreenexperience.com)

Old Fashioned Power Burger

The title's a bit of a misnomer; I definitely did not make an old fashioned burger last night for dinner. No, all of my burgers are decidedly new fashioned. What I did make, however, was an Old Fashioned and then a power burger. (I drank the first while grilling the second.)

I've recently began experimenting with cocktails that have ingredients with cool names like "Angostura bitters" and "vermouth" and...and, "sugar." Really, anything I can add to gratuitous amounts of bourbon to make a cool drink is fine by be. (Next on the list: a Manhattan.)

And since I'm experimenting with food and drink, I figured you should as well. Just call it good-natured peer pressure.

So, from me to you, here's what I had for dinner last night. (Write your favorite meal and adult beverage in the comment section!)

The Power Burger - Courtesy of Muscle Chow and Precision Nutrition:

1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup toasted wheat germ
Lettuce (optional)
Tomato (optional)
Honey mustard (Definitely not optional. Go for the Sierra Nevada brand. It's made with beer!)

Put everything into a large bowl and knead the hell out of it with your hands. Make into four patties. Throw some at your girlfriend for fun. (But make sure to get it back. You don't want any wasted meat.)

Grill on Foreman grill or pan-fry for 8 to 10 minutes. I also recommend using ridiculous amounts of Stubbs seasoning.

The Old Fashioned: Courtesy of fine bartenders everywhere but mostly Esquire magazine for teaching me and giving me a picture of Megan Fox to look at while I mixed my drink

Place 1/2 teaspoon of loose sugar in the bottom of an Old-Fashioned glass.
Add two or three healthy dashes of Angostura bitters and a teaspoon of water.
Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Add three ice cubes to the glass.
Stir.
Add two ounces of bourbon whiskey (I used Maker's Mark.)
Stir.
Twist a thin slice of lemon peel over the top
Add stirring implement (I used a spoon. I can't fathom what they used.)
Let sit for one minute.
Drink.

So what'd you have for dinner? And what's your favorite drink? Let me know in the comments!

And if you're looking for more great recipes and a complete nutrition package I've personally used and recommend, check out Precision Nutrition.

(To read and post comments for this entry, visit thenategreenexperience.com)

What's on my Bookshelf

I can't believe the sheer amount of books I've read and then given away. It must be at least fifty. Probably more. But over the past couple of months - for whatever reason - I've kept most of the stuff I've bought or that was given to me. And since I get a few e-mails per week asking what I recommend or what I'm currently reading, I figured now was a good time to share.

Here's what's on my bookshelf right now

Calvin and Hobbes Complete Collection by Bill Watterson

Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

Magnificent Mobility DVD by Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson (why the hell is there a DVD on here?)

Thailand travel guide by Frommers

The Red Queen by Matt Ridley

The Irresistible Offer by Mark Joyner

Words That Sell by Richard Bayan

The Body Fat Solution by Tom Venuto

The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz

Elements of Style by Strunk and White

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

Details Men's Style Manual by the Editors of Details

The Ice Beneath You by Christian Bauman

The Art of Seduction by Robert Greene

The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

College Dictionary by Websters New World

Brewing up a Business by Sam Calagione

Egonomics by David Marcum and Steven Smith

Collapse by Jared Diamond

The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss

Belize Travel Guide by Frommers

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

Why Beautiful People Have More Daughters by Alan S. Miller

American Shaolin by Matthew Polly

The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr

Love Signals by David Givens

What is the What by Dave Eggers

Muscle Chow by Gregg Avedeon

Training for Warriors by Martin Rooney

Muay Thai: A Living Legacy by Lesley D. Junlakan

The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth by Johnny Bowden

The Adonis Complex by Harrison Pope Jr.

The Associated Press Stylebook

Made to Stick by Dan and Chip Heath

The Omnivores Dilemma by Michael Pollan

Your turn

So what are you reading right now? Let me know in the comments!

(To read and post comments for this entry, visit thenategreenexperience.com)