Ask Jtrain: Finding New Songs for the Gym

I have a question that I have had since the dawn of time. My work out mixes get pretty old quick and I just can't get as fired up about them as I used to. Got any songs that get you in the mind set to just shut up and do work?

What's up!

This is a really awesome question! If you ask anyone who knows me well, they'll tell you that I'm really into music. Music is such an important part of my life, and I need to constantly have some playing in the background wherever I'm at. So I'm really excited to answer this!

Working out and music: A match made in heaven

Source: thenosebleeds.com 

The kind of music you choose is just as important as the exercises you do. They need to effectively get you pumped for getting ready to kill the weight, and set the tone for what kind of personality you want to take with you to the gym that day and emit onto your workout (positive, serious, etc).



Branch Warren likes to blast Taylor Swift to pump him up for workouts like these

Source: Tumblr

 

For the people who bring their Ipods to the gym with pre-loaded music, I can see how hearing the same songs over and over and over again can get old and lose their luster over time. I actually don't bring pre-loaded songs and stream radio stations via my phone. And I'm not talking about Pandora.....who I think has like 5 songs in their entire database. The app that I've fallen in love with is called Tunein Radio, and you can download it to your phone for free. You can also visit the site at www.tunein.com. The amazing thing about this app is that it allows you to stream radio from ANY country around the world, as well as any radio website. That means you can listen to Finnish power metal from a radio station IN Finland, or maybe Spanish radio from Spain, or even sports radio from a city you might be from that you're no longer living in......all in real time. It's amazing.

Source: blogs.which.co.uk

Tunein is great for finding new music in the genre you enjoy because all you have to do is simply type in that genre, a band you like, or a place you're from and it will give you a list of possible stations. You then click on one you like, and it will stream you tons of songs you've probably never heard before that can definitely get you pumped up in the gym. Another way I find songs is by simply going on youtube and clicking on songs that I like, and then not being afraid to click on suggested videos on the right. I've found a lot of great bands that way. It's important to stay open minded when searching for new music too. You'll never really know what your favorite kinds of genres are until you're willing to not only search further within your comfort zone, but to look far outside of it as well. I'm not sure anything aggravates me more than when someone claims to be heavily into music, but can only list off top 40 pop songs and artists as their favorites, and cringe or look at me blankly when I tell them about bands that are not well known or too "dated" for them to want to look into. There are more artists out there than the three that you hear on the radio every day people!

As for what songs I would recommend, that would probably be difficult as you and I are probably different from one another. Music is in every way an art form, and our interpretations and what we like to hear and what gets us pumped could be completely different. Personally, I like to blast Eurodance when I'm in the gym for some reason. I think it's because it keeps me in a good mood and keeps my body moving while I'm going to the next set / exercise. Or maybe it's because I love the reactions I get when I'm rocking a stringer tank top and dancing like I'm at a dance hall or something. I'm also a huge fan of melodic death metal. I also understand that both of those genres have some very niche markets haha.

So just use the techniques and tools that I talked about above. The best way to get variety while working out in my opinion is to stream stations off of an app (not Pandora...ugh) on a station that caters to the kind of music you like. Also, I think it's incredibly important to play the music fairly loud to really get in that zone. But that's just me.  Let me know what you've found and what works for you!

And now, here are some examples (a VERY small sample) of the kinds of sounds I like to hear while I'm in the gym. Please don't judge me....I know I'm different:



 

 

Let me know what you've found!

-Jtrain

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*Have a question about natural bodybuilding / fitness / nutrition / stress? Need some advice? Email me at jtrainfitness@gmail.com and I will answer it on this blog! Be sure to enter your email to receive alerts for when the next blog post has come out, and be sure to tell your friends about this blog! Follow me on twitter @jtrainfitness and tell your friends to do the same!*
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Gym Monotony and Motivation

Ah yes, you've gotten past that initial hype you felt when you first started a diet and/or workout routine. You killed it your first couple of days in the gym and are feeling good about how this is going to be an every day thing for the rest of your life as you finally transform yourself into that sexy beast that all of your friends will admire and respect. And you make sure that you let all of them know that on Facebook.

SO MUCH FOCUS!!!

Source: trainbodyandmind.com

 

But then it hits you harder than the bass at a dubstep convention. That feeling of blandness. That feeling of mediocrity. That overwhelming mental mountain suddenly put forth in front of you as you realize that it might actually be REALLY difficult to do something that in the moment does not feel enjoyable at all...over....and over....and over again. And on top of that, the intense emotion, excitement, and hype that you felt originally getting into the fitness game start to fade away into nothingness.

Your body is very good at outsmarting you. It knows what it has to do to make you stop doing anything that conflicts with one of its main goals in life: storing energy and spending as little of that energy as possible. Once it starts to realize that you're trying to get rid of its energy stores (fat), eat less to attain more energy, and/or use energy to build muscle......it's going to try to shut you down and use every trick in the book to make you think that not eating that cookie in front of you will be the death of you. Any excuse you give yourself will be good enough to justify eating that bag of M&Ms (until it becomes 2 bags of M&Ms, a Coke, 3 popsicles, and a Chipotle burrito) or missing just one day of going to the gym (until it eventually becomes you not going anymore). You are very much a slave to yourself, and what control you think you have over your actions and desires often times translates to no control at all.

 

 

"I'll go to the gym...right after this nap...and after this show is over...and after I finish this bag of chips"

Source: hackcollege.com

 

 

And so after stating all that, we come to the main point of this post. It was so easy to go into the gym for the first time because it was new and exciting to you, and whatever motivated you to do so was in the moment more important to you than being lazy. But those feelings are fleeting, especially when it comes to doing a task you don't enjoy. How many times have you been excited that you finally got a job and were going to get paid, only to tell your friends a month later how much you hate your job when you realize that it interferes with your desire to do the things you love?

It's the same with bodybuildng and going to the gym. You're taking a task that conflicts with everything your body wants you to do, and adding prolonged monotony to it. And the results are anything but instantaneous.

I wish I had an actual answer for how to make your routine enjoyable all the time. But fitness and bodybuilding especially involve doing the same unenjoyable things day in and day out in a way that makes you feel like some kind of android. You almost have to be a certain type of crazy to get yourself in the mindset of being so automated. I've never been a fan of jumping to different workout programs every couple weeks as I see a lot of people do just because they're bored, but there are some tips I can give to get yourself more motivated and excited to get into the gym:

• Mix up the order in which you do your exercises and/or change the days that you work out specific muscle groups / cardio routines: After working out for a while, you start to realize that you've been doing the same order of certain exercises. It's good in my opinion to stay consistent with the exercises you do, but the order to which you do them can be changed. Sometimes I'll go into the gym and get the exercises I like the least out of the way first, before going on to the ones I like to make the end of the workouts feel easier and keep my intensity and excitement up. This is also good in my opinion because sometimes it will lead you to be fatigued from isolation exercises before going into more compound exercises and possibly have more stimulation in the muscle than you would if you started with the compound exercise. I usually start out with a certain muscle group on two muscle group days, but sometimes I'll mix it up and do the other muscle group first. This change of pace will sometimes get me excited and intrigued enough to want to go into the gym and try it out.

• Mix up how you train: I'm not saying change the routine, but rather change the way you go about your exercises. What I mean is that maybe on some days you'll try to lift heavier weights at lower repetitions, and on some days you'll lift lighter weights at higher repetitions. If you're more cardio-focused, maybe some days you can try running for a longer amount of time and on other days focus more on high intensity interval style running. Also, consider incorporating new ideas into your workout routines such as drop sets, super sets, and trying to always advance the way you lift (such as line of drive, holding pumps, negatives....etc).
 
• Find a workout partner(s): Let me first say that you should not tie your willingness to go to the gym with someone you're going with or invest in them to the point where them suddenly deciding not to go anymore will make you not want to go too. Workout partners come and go, and it's good not to be too attached. With all that said though, it's really good to have someone around who will keep your mind off of the sets you have to do, or how terrible you feel, while at the same time motivating you.

• Find the thing that motivates you the most. You WILL want to quit. It's going to happen. I don't care how motivated you think you are. There will come a time, and many times after, where you will feel an overwhelming need to just quit. That is why it's important for you to constantly remind yourself why you got into this in the first place. For me, I like to watch videos of bodybuilders like Kai Greene and feed off of their intensity and dedication. While some might consider this weird and negative, I also like to look up people in my life (like on Facebook) who I look up to and respect or heavily dislike for whatever reason and tell myself that I will acheive their kind of success or become better at something than them. I ask myself if those people I dislike or my worst enemy would come in to the gym and lift for 2 hours today on top of eating like a robot and, if the answer is no, make sure that I do what they were mentally incapable of and too lazy to do.

• Take each day at a time: If you look ahead to the future and all the work you need to get done to accomplish your fitness goals, the magnitude of it will scare you into quitting. Just try to conquer each day. Take it each day at a time and only worry about what is in front of you. Make goals for your future self, but concern yourself with finishing all of what you need to get done today.

 It takes more than most people think to become successful at bodybuilding and achieving fitness goals because it involves doing a lot of things that your body has not evolved to do. We are still the same organisms that existed many years ago who survived because we developed the biological mentality of eating all the food that was in front of us. But now in an age where it's readily available, and overeating is a very easy thing to do, it's important to take control of your mind and will yourself to not fall into your own mentality.

Decide what's important to you. Ask yourself if personal growth, respect from others, increased self esteem, and a more positive life is worth throwing away for 10 seconds of instant gratification. If you want it, you have to want it more than you want to do anything else in life. You can do it...you just have to be strong enough.

So take control of yourself. Attack each day. Find purpose, and do everything you need to do to succeed.

-Jtrain

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*Have a question about natural bodybuilding / fitness / nutrition / stress? Need some advice? Email me at jtrainfitness@gmail.com and I will answer it on this blog! Be sure to enter your email to receive alerts for when the next blog post has come out, and be sure to tell your friends about this blog! Follow me on twitter @jtrainfitness and tell your friends to do the same!*
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Ask Jtrain: Low Level of Aerobic Fitness Associated with Shorter Life Span?

"Is it in fact true, that a low level of aerobic fitness is associated with a shorter life span?"

Hey there!

I think I'm really going to enjoy answering this question, because it's going to require me to incorporate my training as an Epidemiologist to give you a thorough answer. I'm going to assume that when you say "low level" you are referring to the frequency and perhaps the intensity of the aerobic exercise. I'm also going to assume that by "aerobic" you mean cardiovascular exercise (cardio).

Source: symmetrydirectbuy.com

I'd like to first state that in the world health, it is incredibly difficult to directly link one variable as the cause of some disease or mortality (at least with chronic disease). Many factors come into play when talking about different diseases and health outcomes (such as age, height, ethnicity, diet, pre-existing conditions, etc.), and it's the interplay between these factors that become important as they increase the chances of a certain outcome. I really like how you used the word "associated", and I'll go over what I found after a quick look through some of the literature currently available.

One thing I tried to do was find systematic reviews on the topic. If you're not sure on what a systematic review is, it's simply a literature review which gathers many high-quality studies related to one another in answering a specific study question, and then uses the results of these studies to come to a conclusion on the research question posed.

One piece of literature that I found was a systematic review on the association of physical activity with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality [1]. The review was conducted in Germany and published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. The researchers systematically searched MEDLINE in 2007 and included cohort studies (longitudinal studies that follow people with a similar trait who do not have a disease over long periods time and compare them to another group of people) that looked at the primary preventive impact that physical activity had on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality and included a total of 33 studies which all together included 883,372 participants. Risk reduction was determined by comparing two subgroups of individuals (least active and most active), with the least active subgroup being used as the reference group (the group that all other groups in a study are compared to). Follow up of participants ranged anywhere from 4-20+ years, and the majority of the 33 studies included reported a significant risk reduction of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. Physical activity was associated with a 35% reduction in cardiovascular mortality with a 95% confidence level that the true value for cardiovascular mortality reduction due to physical activty was somwhere between 30-40%. For all-cause mortality, there was a 33% reduction due to physical activity with a 95% confidence level that the true reduction level value was somewhere between 28-37%.

But your question wasn't so much about general physical activity as it was about cardio and its association between mortality. So I tried to find literature that talked about that specifically. There were two studies that I came across that seemed relevant and were interesting. The first study selectively bred two different groups of lab rats based on treadmill running capability (ones with higher aerobic treadmill running ability and ones with lower treadmill running aerobic ability) to determine if there was a difference in survivability between these groups [2]. The researchers found that the median lifespan for rats bred for low aerobic capacity was 28-45% shorter than rats bred for high aerobic capacity, and that the degredation of the cardiovascular system from childhood to adulthood was more pronounced in rats bred for lower aerobic capacity. The researchers concluded that increased aerobic capacity may be significantly linked to longevity and prolonged prevention of mortality.

Source: thesportinmind.com

Another study I looked at was another literature review that observed the longevity and mortality rates of "elite athletes' compared to the generatl population [3]. The researchers wanted to see if those who engaged in long-term vigorous exercise training had better survival rates than the general population. A total of 14 epidemiological studies were used and separated based on type of sport (exclusively aerobic and mixed aerobic/anaerobic). Using life expectancy, standarized mortality ratio, standarized proportionate mortality ratio, mortality rate, and mortality odds ratio for all causes of death, the researchers found that aerobic athletes and mixed aerobic/anaerboic athletes survived longer than the general population (as referenced over the 14 studies used). They concluded that long-term vigorous cardiovascular exercise may be associated with greater longevity and survival rates (at least in those types of athletes observed in the 14 studies) when compared to the general population.

So for the most part, a lot of the high quality research that I found indicated that increased aerobic activity played at least some kind of role in increased lifespan, longevity, and a decrease in mortality. Not all studies that I looked at came to this conclusion though [4], and as stated above it is important to consider many things when trying to prolong and improve your life. Many different factors in one's life and lifestyle come into play when it comes to age longevity such as smoking, gender, diet, pre-existing conditions, heredity, genetics, etc. However, having a sound cardiovascular routine is definitely not a bad idea when it comes to living a healthy life in my opinion. So go ahead and build up your cardiovascular endurance! Your body will most likely reward you for it!

Source: easierliving.com

Hope that helps!

-Jtrain

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*Have a question about natural bodybuilding / fitness / nutrition / stress? Need some advice? Email me at jtrainfitness@gmail.com and I will answer it on this blog! Be sure to enter your email to receive alerts for when the next blog post has come out, and be sure to tell your friends about this blog! Follow me on twitter @jtrainfitness and tell your friends to do the same!*
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Citations

[1] Nocon, Marc, Theresa Hiemann, Falk Müller-Riemenschneider, Frank Thalau, Stephanie Roll, and Stefan N. Willich. "Association of Physical Activity with All-cause and Cardiovascular Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis." European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention & Rehabilitation 15.3 (2008): 239-46. Print.
[2]Koch, LG, OJ Kemi, SX Leng, P. Bijma, LJ Gilligan, JE Wilkinson, H. Wisloff, MA Hoydal, N. Rolim, PM Abadir, EM Van Grevenhof, GL Smith, CF Burant, O. Ellingsen, SL Britton, and U. Wisloff. "Intrinsic Aerobic Capacity Sets a Divide for Aging and Longevity." Circulation Research 109.10 (2011): 1162-172. Print.
[3]Teramoto, Masaru, and Timothy J. Bungum. "Mortality and Longevity of Elite Athletes." Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport (2009): n. pag. Print.
[4]Semlitsch, Thomas, Klaus Jeitler, Lars G. Hemkens, Karl Horvath, Eva Nagele, Christoph Schuermann, Nicole Pignitter, Kristen H. Herrmann, Siw Waffenschmidt, and Andrea Siebenhofer. "Result Filters." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, June 2013. Web. 30 July 2013.

Scooby's Workshop Leaving Youtube



So I actually had something lined up to talk about today, but something was brought to my attention that deserves greater spotlight to talk about.

This year has already been an incredible year for me with all of the new things coming down the pipeline and all of the new experiences, like my recent trip to Comic-Con where I got to meet some awesome people I never thought I'd get the chance to.

But 2013 has also brought sadness, as I have to see a lot of things near and dear to my heart go away. Included in this is the ending of two of my favorite shows (Dexter and Breaking Bad), the closing of one of my favorite restaurants in San Diego (Croce's....where I didn't get to say hi to Ingrid one last time), and now the shutting down of not only one of the most influential Youtube channels of my life, but the end of one of the most influential people in my life.

It is with great sorrow, that I have to talk about the end of Scooby's Workshop on Youtube.

For those of you unfamiliar with Scooby, he was one of if not THE first true bodybuilding / fitness channels on Youtube. He offered straight-forward and real bodybuilding advice and tips that required no gimmicks or fees. He covered a wide-range of topics and focused heavily on solid form, being safe, and the extreme importance of nutrition.

Recently, on the site 4chan,  personal information of Scooby's was released which resulted in people using that information to call his workplace and threaten / yell profanities at him, and even something as terrible as showing up to his house to apparently threaten his family. It is all overwhelmingly awful that something like this would happen to someone as positive and awesome as Scooby, and I'm even having a hard time believing this as I'm writing about it.

While this story certainly is crazy, that's not really my main reason for highlighting it.

Scooby was THE person who got me into bodybuilding. It was his videos that inspired me to finally get into the gym and make the image I had of the physique I wanted a reality. He drilled into my head at the infancy of my bodybuilding career how immensely important nutrition was and how it should be the main focus to any body transformation program. He taught me proper technique and form. He gave me the building blocks to put myself in the proper mindset and have the proper approach to the bodybuilding game that, even to this day, still turn to years later.

When I needed bodybuilding advice, Scooby was there. When times got hard and I didn't know where to find the answers, I watched Scooby's videos to get inspired and remind myself why I kept going back on the grind every day in the gym, and to refresh my memory or get new ideas on the proper way to do exercises.

Your videos are going to be missed Scooby. I hope you realize just how many people you inspired and gave new purpose to when they needed it the most. You did a great thing, and helped usher in a new era of amazing Youtube Bodybuilding channels and are the father of the Youtube fitness community.......a community that is very close to my heart.

You helped build the image and lifestyle of the Jtrain. If I didn't have your straight-forward, no b.s. advice at the beginning, I would almost certainly have not made it or continue to be where I am today with my bodybuilding. I thank you so much for the impact you had on my life. I will take all of the principles you gave me and pass them on to everyone else I know who has a dream of fitness greatness, or who do not think they are capable of acheiving such goals. You are the man Scooby. You are an inspiration. And I hope you know that.

Today I vow to have one of the most intense workouts of my life in honor of you. I'm also going to post your video about alcohol and bodybuilding that first got me seriously thinking about getting into bodybuilding at the end of this post.

Auf Wiedersehen Buddy.

-Jtrain





Ask Jtrain: Emotional Eating

Dear Jay,

I have issues with eating to relieve stress and depression. I need a way to either change my appetite or shutdown these urges. I also here magnesium helps with that, what's a good source of magnesium that doesn't have a high calorie count.

Hello!

I'm really sorry to hear that you have things going on in your life right now that are causing you to stress and be depressed. If you want to be more specific about those problems and need advice that you think I could answer on this blog to help other people who read this blog and are going through the same kind of things, send me an email (jtrainfitness@gmail.com) and I'll help you out with that. I promise.

Hang in there champ. Things get better, even when they don't. Try not to let things get you down, and just smile through the b.s. If you're not laughing about things, you'll cry about them...and the issues you face on a day to day basis are often times not even worth worrying about. Just roll right through them and get things done.

But let's get into your question about eating to relieve stress and depression. This is an extremely common issue in my opinion, and would bet that a great majority of people do this.

Eating is a very emotional thing when you think about it. When was the last time you smelled food in passing and were immediately reminded of some holiday gathering where you were with family members having a good time? Or maybe that smell reminded you of the great times you had hanging out with friends? It could also just be that you enjoy the taste of a certain food that isn't necessarily good for you, and eating it just makes you feel comfortable and relaxed. I bet that you've experienced one or more of these very recently.

The instant gratification and mental transportation towards that zone of comfort you feel makes you want to keep going back to the thing causing you to forget the stress and feel that comfort (the eating), and thus you start to overeat (and will probably introduce more stress in your life from the guilt you feel afterwards).

This can be a very dangerous thing of course, as it can lead you to ingest way more calories than you should (and therefore possibly destroy any body transformation goals you have), and may have other detrimental health outcomes if the food you turn to for stress and depression relief is of poor quality.

Here's my advice on what you should do if you find that you're eating emotionally:

• Do not put yourself in an environment where you can turn to that food: Do not purchase that food when you go to the supermarket. Only purchase foods that you absolutely  need for your body transformation goals to stock in your cabinets / refrigerators / etc. Do not go to places that have that food available to you either. If you cannot access the food, you won't be able to turn to it in states of stress and depression.

• Do not view food as a leisure activity or as a means to escape stress and relax: Most people view food as pleasure and not purpose. I understand that it, at first, is very weird to ever think of food as a tool as opposed to something that satisfies your appetite and gives you instant gratification in the process. It will be hard, but when you see food, you need to see it for what it really is. It's just a piece of meat, just a piece of sugar, and / or just a piece of pure fat. There's nothing special about it past the glorification you are giving it in your mind. Your mind is making you think that it's more important than what it really is. It's not a social tool. It's not some otherworldly relic to be admired and worshiped. It's just food.

• Pick up a new hobby that doesn't involve things that will lead to detrimental outcomes: Find something that you could turn to when you feel down that doesn't involve eating or harming yourself. The good thing about hobbies is that if you find one that you're passionate enough about, you start to use them as outlets to keep your mind off of the stress and depression you're feeling. Moreover, finding a nice hobby can occupy your time and give you more positive feelings for which to counteract the negative emotions you are feeling from other parts of your life.

• Eat something every day you enjoy: If you're on a strict diet already, I can understand how all of the negative emotions and stress can build up from not eating the foods you enjoy on top of the stress you already have to deal with in your every day life. This can lead to an even greater perception of stress and eventual binge eating from how impossible it starts to feel trying to stay on your diet. So what I reocmmend is to plan eating a food you enjoy (in a small quantity) every day. For me that was a Dunkin Donuts cinnamon raisin bagel with peanut butter and a large half sweet tea every day for 2 and a half years or so. While it may not have been the best for my diet, it really helped give me a mental break from dieting so hard and refreshed my mind back into conforming to my diet. The fact that I planned this meal every day also made me look forward to it and focus on how good it was going to taste which in turn made me not focus on other stressors in my life. Also, consider having a day or two during the week where you eat whatever you want. One day of bad dieting won't necessarily destroy your diet, and having something to look forward to won't make you feel that your efforts of staying on a diet are hopeless. It will also make you think that while the days you diet hard and feel the most stress might suck, that it's going to feel absolutely amazing once the days that you've planned to eat whatever you want come around.

• Do not focus on only the bad things in life (Not really eating related, but I feel it fits): Your brain is very good at reminding you about the problems you have going on (since they need to readily be solved) and making you forget about the positives. Holding on to negativity and feeling sorry for yourself as you focus on all of the problems in your life and what you're not doing that you wish you were is something that's easy to do since your brain wants you to make sure you're trying to resolve them. But you also have to remind your brain that you also probably have a lot of positive things going on in your life, and choose to focus on those instead.

So there you have it. That's my advice on emotional eating. It's hard to not eat emotionally, since our emotions are tied so closely to the act of eating. Don't look at eating as an event, or something special. Just look at it as a job that needs to get done for you to be the most optimal version of yourself, and find other things to turn to when you're feeling stressed or down. It won't happen overnight, and my tips are harder to do than they sound, but just make sure that every day you try to make a step forward to put yourself on a path towards kicking this habit. I'm here for you if you need any help with that.

As for your magnesium question, I've actually never heard of that so I shouldn't give an opinion on it. Foods high in magnesium though include dark leafy greens (which are low in calories like you requested), beans, lentils, fish, and seeds (source: www.healthaliciousness.com). There are other foods as well. My advice for controlling appetite however is to drink lots of water and eat lots of food high in fiber (beans, brown rice, vegetables). Those kinds of foods fill you up to the point where even looking at food will make you feel sick. Consider also adding healthy fats to foods that are fast digesting (sweet carbs, liquids) to slow down their digestion. But remember a little bit of fat goes a long way.

Hope that helps! Thank you so much for your question! Good luck buddy!

-Jtrain

*Have a question about natural bodybuilding / fitness / nutrition / stress? Email me at jtrainfitness@gmail.com and I will answer it on this blog! Be sure to enter your email to receive alerts for when the next blog post has come out, and be sure to tell your friends about this blog!*

Ask Jtrain: Test boosters / Supplementation

"Dear Jtrain Fitness,

I'm a 25 year old male 5'7 Heavy upper body build. Ive been taking alot of supplements like Arginine blends (No Xplode) for awhile now. But now that I'm 25 I'm thinking about adding Test Boosters, just the beginner standards blends with Tribulus what do you think?"

Hey there!

Ah yes, supplements and bodybuilding. The two are perceived to go together like peanut butter and jelly. But my take on supplementation may be different than what most people in the bodybuilding community think and believe.

First off, let me just say that you do not need supplements. Let me say that again: YOU DO NOT NEED SUPPLEMENTS.....so long as you're only concerned with natural bodybuilding. Professional / competative bodybuilding however is a whole other story that I'm not educated enough on to say anything about and is beyond the scope of this blog. But so long as you are eating the right whole-foods that are conducive towards great bodybuilding results, you will be fine. However, if you wish to see what supplements I DO recommend, please stop by my recommended supplement page here.

Now to get into your question. At age 25, you shouldn't really be worried about decreasing testosterone levels. While it's true that you do not have the kind of absurd testosterone levels you did when you were 18, the kind of testosterone deficency that happens to all males at some point in their life that I'm guessing you're probably talking about is something that comes around your 40's or so. You can still get great results well into your 30's, and I see countless people in the gym every day who are doing so with not as much effort as you'd think (effort meaning how intensly they need to watch their diet and frequency / duration of gym time). With dedication, intensity, frequency, and consistency, you can see great muscular development and have a great physique even past your 40's and well into the twilight years of your life (something I also see in the gym). Just leave nothing on the table when you train, stay focused, rest, and eat right and you'll continue to make great mental and physical gains.

As for test boosters / pro-hormones / Tribulus, I would recommend you stay away. After researching the topic more in-depth (expert opinions / skimming the literature), I've come to the conclusion that pro-hormones / test boosters for the most part are useless and will not elicit the kind of positive response you are looking for while at the same time possibly giving you negative side effects you are NOT looking for.

You see, a lot of these kinds of supplements do not have the kind of research and credibility necessary to conclude that they are effective in making significant gains in muscle growth and body composition. Tribulus, for example, does not have any significant research performed on it from a credible western peer-reviewed journal, and therefore no systematic reviews or enough research done over time to generate any opinion for or against its use. In my experience as an Epidemiologist, that generally leads me to believe that it's not worthwhile or worth the cost / possible side effects that come along with the use of test boosters / pro-hormone / Tribulus. Also, if you take a second to think about it, if these supplements were SO beneficial and effective, wouldn't you see doctors and other credible professionals heavily advocate its use? It's not like those kinds of people try to hide that kind of information for some diabolical plan or anything.

Tribulus Plant. Source: gnet.org

Finally, even if supplements like Tribulus elevated testosterone levels, they would need to elevate them to a level high enough to stimulate muscle growth (like the kind of insane level that anabolic steroids raise your testosterone levels), which Tribulus and other related supplements do not do. It's like saying that going to the beach will increase your chances of being killed by being hit in the head by a beach ball, but the likelihood of dying from being hit in the head by a beach ball and the additional risk added from being at the beach are too insignficantly small for you to care.

I do not advocate anabolic steroid use, but if you're going to play the hormone manipulation game, you might as well just do something that you know will work as opposed to getting similar negative side effects without any gains.

So just train hard, eat well and with purpose, rest, and do all of those three consistently and with intensity and I promise you you'll get the natural gains you want. Bodybuilding is a process that (sadly) takes a LONG time to see progress. Don't get discouraged at not seeing gains right away and jump on the supplement bandwagon. As pro-bodybuilder Kai Greene would say, don't be turned into a consumer before you are turned into an athlete / fitness buff.

Thank you so much for your question!

P.S. If you use a pre-workout (like your NO-Xplode), don't forget to cycle it for maximum effect!

-Jtrain

*Have a question about natural bodybuilding / fitness / nutrition / stress? Email me at jtrainfitness@gmail.com and I will answer it on this blog! Be sure to enter your email to receive alerts for when the next blog post has come out, and be sure to tell your friends about this blog!*

I'm on Twitter!

Hey guys!

I just got back to Baltimore and am really excited to start churning out some great bodybuilding advice / regular advice more frequently. Please keep checking back on the regular, and don't forget to send me questions about ANYTHING you want answered at jtrainfitness@gmail.com. I can't wait to answer them.

Also, I decided to get a twitter now to give quick notifications on blog updates so that you can see the ones you're interested in instead of going to the blog every time. Tell your friends to give me a follow if they have one too! It would be greatly appreciated!

And as for those of you who knew I was at Comic-Con....wow.....just wow.....expectations OBLITERATED.

Check back soon!

-Jtrain

Ask Jtrain: Bicep Growth and "Feeling" the Weight

"Why is it that normally, and following correct technique, my biceps do not seem to feel the weight? I try, and i try, but they don't really grow quickly. I do not want massive arms,and a chicken body, but why can i not feel it?"

Thank you for your question!  Yours will be the first that I answer, and so I hope it is to your satisfaction! I'm actually typing this out while flying on a plane, so there are a lot of first time things going on here haha.

When it comes to biceps, there are few things you really need to keep in mind, but those few things are very important. While the bicep is a very easy muscle to stimulate and exercise (i.e. you don't really need to worry too much about body positioning, and doing a curl motion is adequate enough for them to start growing), there are some things I want you to keep in mind.

I'm going to assume that what you mean by "feel" the weight is a combination of getting a satisfactory feeling of lift while at the same time achieving a satisfactory pump (that amazing feeling you get when all of the blood starts rushing into your muscle, inflating it and making it look and feel massive). Here is my advice for achieving both:

• Range of Motion: The most important thing you want to think about first when doing a bicep exercise is getting a full stretch in the arm at the stretch range of motion (when the weight is coming down), and and flexing really hard and holding that flex for a good half a second to a second at the flex range of motion before coming back down. Often times I'll see people not leave their arms hanging straight at their sides (a complete vertical angle) when they're coming down from their flex. I see a lot of 90-120 degree angles made before the person comes back into the flex motion. Do not do that. To achieve a nice repetition from a motion standpoint, it is important you get the FULL range of motion. So from a technique standpoint in many, if not all, bicep exercises, fully flex the muscle on its way up (like really squeeze the heck out of that bicep head when you get to the end flex range of motion), but also fully extend your arms on the way down.
• Lift until failure: You have achieved set success with biceps when you keep screaming in your mind for your biceps to move, but literally nothing you do will get your arm to move the weight up towards your chest. Every single set should be that way with biceps. 
• Weight Choice: As far as "feeling the weight", I think that maybe your issue might be one of weight choice. Do you know what weight you will absolutely fail at around the 8-12 rep range? That's the weight you want to lift. 
• Drop Sets: Consider incorporating drop sets to each of your sets. If you're not getting a satisfactory pump in your bicep head, then after performing your set of a particular exercise, say barbell or dumbbell curls, put that weight down and immediately do the same exercise on the same set with a weight that is 10-30 pounds lighter and lift that until failure. 

I won't make a bullet point out of it, since this goes for all muscle groups and growing them, but also take a look at your nutrition. Maybe you're eating the right things, but not in enough quantities to feed the biceps if in fact your bicep routine is satisfactory for muscle growth stimulation. Eat big for big growth!

As for having a disproportionate arm size to the rest of your body, that's up to you and how you design your workout routine. Remember to develop a balanced workout plan that does not give too much attention to one thing and not enough to others. For bodybuilding, that means that you want to give love to ALL of your muscle groups. So long as you are doing that equally to each of them and putting in the same kind of intensity, you probably won't have to worry about a disproportionate body aesthetic.

Hope that helps! Lift hard, kill those biceps with your intensity, and force them to grow!

-Jtrain

*Have a question about natural bodybuilding / fitness / nutrition / stress? Email me at jtrainfitness@gmail.com and I will answer it on this blog! Be sure to enter your email to receive alerts for when the next blog post has come out, and be sure to tell your friends about this blog!*

Welcome to Jtrain Fitness!

Welcome to Jtrain Fitness! I'm really excited to finally have a blog that I can use to share with people my experiences in natural bodybuilding / fitness and offer my opinions on what it takes to achieve fitness goals and have a positive mindset on life.

Expect me to post something new at least once a day and answer questions that my readers will hopefully send into me (more on that in a second). Posts will include things related to working out, putting on and maintaining muscle, nutrition, recipes, rest, and handling stress. I'll also include in-depth articles on big questions I get asked all the time and include them in tabs at the top of this page.

I'm currently looking for some questions to answer on this blog, and possibly on a youtube channel I'm debating on whether or not to create. If you have ANY questions regarding natural bodybuilding / nutrition / fitness / advice on issues causing you stress, please shoot me an email at: jtrainfitness@gmail.com, and I'll try and answer it here!

Check back in regularly for newly added content!

-Jtrain