20. Speak less and listen more. If you are a true student, you
will want to hear the teacher's voice more than your own. You are not learning while
you are talking.
21. Over 70% of the supplements on the market have less than 30%
absorption rate. This means you are only absorbing about 30% of what is in the bottle.
Supplements are about making money. They put just enough in the product for you
to feel a slight difference so you buy them again.
22. Hiring a personal trainer is one of the best investments you
can make. Yes, I know, not all trainers are created equal. I'm talking about the
kick ass ones who have a binder full of before and after pictures and guarantee
results.
23. Money is a jealous and deadly god. Money can create freedom
but it will not set you truly free.
24. Stretch as least half as much as you lift. If you are lifting
weights for at least 4 hours a week than you better be stretching at least 2 hours
a week. If not, your body is screaming for an injury.
25. Active Release Therapy (A.R.T.) therapy has been proven, to
me personally, the most effective form of therapy available. Find a reputable A.R.T.
therapist if you are on the injured list.
26. Competing in my first fitness model show was the only decision
that truly motivated me to get the best body of my life.
27. I love short emails written in short, concise sentences. Learn
how to be time-efficient with your communication.
28. Dead lifts are the best overall exercise of all time. No other
exercise produces the same potential of results as dead lifts.
29. Body weight exercises should be mastered before external load
is introduced. It amazes me at how many guys attempt a sloppy 200 pound lat pull
down but can't pull up their weight once.
30. Impression without expression leads to depression. This means
that people get impressed with certain ideas but don't do anything about it so they
end up getting depressed.
31. No guts, no glory. If you're not bleeding, sweating and crying
at the end of your workouts than I must question your workout intensity.
32. Buy a foam roller and use it daily. Stop fixating on the strength,
size and flexibility of a tissue until you increase the quality of the tissue.
33. Write everything down. This will help clarify your goals and
use the past to replicate the future.
34. Find a mentor. They will accelerate your learning and take
you closer to your goal.
35. Skinny guys will never become bigger until they start spending
more money on groceries, spend more time in the kitchen and spend more time cleaning
in the kitchen.
36. Stop training with your girlfriend. I attempted this for a
few weeks, and as much as I love my girlfriend, this is an impossible recipe to
make any gains!
37. Machines are not always better. They are merely alternatives
and used for commercial profit to the manufacturer and sales companies which have
influenced the masses to believe that the latest, superior machine is worthy of
our attention. I don't agree.
38. I never got dumber reading a book (with the possible exception
of the Britney Spears' book Heart to Heart). It drives me crazy when someone asks,
'Is this book worth it?' Even if you learned one new thing, would it not be worth
it? How can you put a price on knowledge?
39. The majority of people still think cardiovascular is the best
way to lose fat. Thanks to programs from Craig Ballantyne, Tom Venuto, and Alwyn
Cosgrove, we are now discovering the value of high intensity circuit training for
maximizing the 24-hour metabolism.
40. If you are doing three quad dominant exercises such as a leg
press, lunge and leg extension, than you better be doing three hip dominant exercises
to counteract an imbalance in the pelvis, such as stiff leg dead lifts, good mornings
and leg curls.
41. If you are doing three horizontal pushing exercises for your
chest like bench press, incline bench press, and decline bench press, you better
be doing three horizontal pulling exercises to counteract an imbalance in the shoulders
such as seated row, bent over row and overhand row.
42. Unilateral exercises are underestimated compared to bilateral
exercises. Don't believe me? Try a one leg squat down to your butt instead of a
double leg squat and let me know how it goes...
43. You are the average of the top five people you hang around
most. Hang around with pimps and players and most likely you will become a pimp
and player. Hang out with millionaires and most likely you will become a millionaire.
Hang out with guys bigger and more ripped than you, and you will eventually become
the same.
44. In training for pure muscle size, there are two sides to the
debate. Higher volume training with sub-maximal load and higher repetitions. And
lower volume training with maximal load and lower repetitions. Both will work.
45. Almost every training program will work if the stimulus is
sufficient and a quality caloric support is in a surplus.
46. I am still waiting to see the massive amounts of muscle people
fear to lose when dieting.
47. You don't know what you don't know.
48. If a supplement has not been around for at least three years
to beat the test of time, I give it zero attention and dedicate my time to my training
program and nutrition planning.
49. You will get the exact same thing this year if you keep doing
the same thing you did last year.