Smooth as Anything
Master Don Juan
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2002
- Messages
- 1,231
- Reaction score
- 0
You’re surrounded by the products of people who, if successful, will result in your failure. They are utterly indifferent to your plight. You’re surrounded by even more people- people who have succumb to those products. You can see them everywhere. You’re probably one too- for now.
Sipping on their Coca-Cola, because it’s so refreshing. Smoking that cigarette because it helps them concentrate. Smoking that joint because it helps them relax.
The ills of society go far beyond their consumption. Drink a few beers and you’ll get buzzed. Drink a few more and you’re drunk. That is that. There is nothing more to it. So, why then, all the Corona shirts? Why are we having parties dedicated to its consumption? What good is it doing any of us?
Water is more refreshing than any soda you’ll ever find, I assure you. Without all that caffeine, you won’t need the cigarette to help you concentrate. Exercise dammit, exercise. You’ll take endorphins over marijuana or alcohol any day, I promise.
Millions of dollars are spent to tell you otherwise. That great, refreshing taste of Pepsi. Cigarettes and their awesome taste. Oreo cookies sure are delicious, aren’t they?
So now you’re sedentary and you’re unhappy. **** them all. All those people who sold you that bull****, and **** yourself for buying it in the first place. Luckily, though, that’s the past. Right now is the beginning of the rest of your life. Get in shape, by every definition of the phrase.
--
Let’s dispel half the bull**** you’ll read, right here- right now. The Truth (in no particular order):
1. Muscles can only do one of two things: get bigger or get smaller. This is fundamental. You’re either letting them get smaller, or you’re forcing them to overcompensate and grow. “Toning” and “shaping” your muscles is preposterous.
2. Adipose tissue, or fat, cannot be reduced in any single area. This is called “spot reduction,” and simply has no basis on the way the human body works. People who spit out this bull**** are usually your gym rats who would find it difficult to spell the word “biology.”
3. Supplements are a gimmick that has lasted far too long. Don’t waste your money on protein powder, creatine or any other product that promises faster results. There is no denying that they have their place, but most fail to realize that the place is in the garbage.
4. You are not overtraining. Overtraining is an excuse used by people who are too sore and tired to workout another day. Overtraining does exist, and people who deny it are fools, but you’ll know it if you’re overtraining. You’re going to rest whether you like it or not. If the choice exists: you’re not overtraining.
5. Cardio performed before eating breakfast, or “morning cardio,” is a truly an exercise in futility. If it is in fact true that you are burning a more significant amount of stored fat- it is negligible anyway. If you are, in fact, eating away at muscle mass- you’re still wasting your time. At the end of the day, exercise doesn’t burn fat. A calorie deficit does, and this can be created with cardio at any time of the day, and proper diet.
6. There is absolutely nothing beneficial or healthy about a natural sun-tan. It is true that your body produces Vitamin D, an essential nutrient, in response to sunlight- but this occurs long before your skin produces melanin, the substance that gives your skin that “tanned” look.
7. Running outside is superior to running on a treadmill. There is little to justify the use of a treadmill. Running outside forces you to carry your own weight, and can be done free of charge, essentially year-round in even the most cold climates. Anyone with poor joints, or a high body-fat percentage- should be biking, not running.
8. The abdominal and calf muscles should be treated like any other muscle in the body. Individuals who suggest that because these muscles are used consistently on a daily basis, that they are somehow “different” are wrong- for all intents and purposes.
9. The abdominal muscles, ironically, consist of mostly “fast-twitch muscle fibers”, which means the abdominal muscles respond better to high-weight, low-repetition exercise than bodyweight high-repetition exercise. Therefore, all the kids you see doing 1000 crunches every morning are wasting their time, essentially
10. Having a “six-pack” has little to do with how strong or large your abdominal muscles are. It is directly related to how fat you are. The less, the better, and the more “defined” your abdominal muscles become.
11. As you get older, your metabolism doesn’t just “decrease.” On average, your age-group loses muscle mass- which plays a significant role in your metabolic rate. To a certain extent then, you can maintain your metabolic rate through old-age- through continuous muscle-stimulation.
12. No exercise will make a girl look “bulky.” Gaining muscle mass is inherently more difficult to begin with for women, and the concept of a girl getting “jacked” is unlikely to the point of dismissal. All the women with “big muscles” are on testosterone, a male hormone, and/or steroids. Avoid the two, and you can rest assured that as a woman, you will never look any less womanly.
13. HIIT, or “High-Intensity Interval Training” and LISS Cardio, or “Low Intensity Steady-State Cardio” is purely a matter of preference. Neither one will have a significant impact on your fat loss. Both have benefits, but they are primarily aerobic.
14. Starving yourself will not help you lose fat in any shape, way or form. Nor will throwing your food up. Your body is smarter than you may think. Deny it food, its source of energy, and it will go into what is commonly referred to as “starvation mode.” This is when your body tries to conserve as much energy as possible. You’re telling it that food is scarce. Not wise. Do this and watch the pounds come on.
15. You probably don’t have gynecomastia, or male-breasts. Keep losing fat under the assumption that your body will eventually start consuming the fat stored in your chest. This is a common fear, but fat boys with big-breasts are more common. It is just another copout. “Why bother losing fat, I’ll still have these!” Shut up, no you won’t.
16. Intentional, planned breaks in your diet, or “cheat meals,” are a fantasy. The intent is to raise your metabolism. This can be accomplished by consuming a higher number of healthy calories one day a week. Eating a Snickers bar is not going to help you, sorry.
17. Professional bodybuilders are unhealthy. Incidentally, so are professional endurance runners. Both have weakened immune systems, and have lost or reversed the vast majority of health benefits gained from regular exercise and a healthy diet. This is a broad generalization, but applies quite often.
18. Soy protein should be avoided. Soy protein raises estrogen levels, a hormone directly linked to breast cancer. Furthermore, the general consensus is that soy protein’s benefits are, as far as fitness is concerned, minimal.
19. Everyone claims to bench at least 150 pounds. Don’t be surprised if you go to bench for your first time and you can only put on 95 pounds for a few reps. You are not alone, in fact- a large number of us started that way. It does not sound particularly impressive though, and your friends who can all bench “200 pounds” thought they would never have to prove it to you. When you ask them to be your lifting partner, they will “not have lifted in awhile” and will test your own muscle when they ask you to spot them for the “barbell drop.”
20. As far as fitness, eating before you go to sleep is not going to harm you. It is not recommended for optimal sleep, but it is otherwise not going to harm your progress. This is assuming of course, that the food being consumed stays within the intended meal consumption for the day. Excess food is never good, regardless of your goal.
21. Getting into shape is about a lot of little things, not anything particular. This means that if you breakdown and eat a Hershey bar, it is not all over. In fact, it is moot. You’ll never see or feel the consequences. You only will if you let eating that Hershey bar slide—because if you do, you’ll do it again. And again. And then you’re right back to where you started.
22. Genetics decide everything. The way you look, the way your muscle grows- how fast or slow. There is no changing this. Your role is to adapt to your own genetics, and maximize your own potential. Odds say you aren’t going to look like Arnold, but that really shouldn’t be your intention. Make your intention to be the peak of your capacity, and it is guaranteed that you will be euphoric and satisfied when you finally reach it.
--
There will three components to either your “cut,” which is a phase of fat loss, or “bulk,” which is a phase of muscle-mass gain. These three components are:
Diet: Most important.
Weight Lifting: Second.
Cardio: Third.
Sipping on their Coca-Cola, because it’s so refreshing. Smoking that cigarette because it helps them concentrate. Smoking that joint because it helps them relax.
The ills of society go far beyond their consumption. Drink a few beers and you’ll get buzzed. Drink a few more and you’re drunk. That is that. There is nothing more to it. So, why then, all the Corona shirts? Why are we having parties dedicated to its consumption? What good is it doing any of us?
Water is more refreshing than any soda you’ll ever find, I assure you. Without all that caffeine, you won’t need the cigarette to help you concentrate. Exercise dammit, exercise. You’ll take endorphins over marijuana or alcohol any day, I promise.
Millions of dollars are spent to tell you otherwise. That great, refreshing taste of Pepsi. Cigarettes and their awesome taste. Oreo cookies sure are delicious, aren’t they?
So now you’re sedentary and you’re unhappy. **** them all. All those people who sold you that bull****, and **** yourself for buying it in the first place. Luckily, though, that’s the past. Right now is the beginning of the rest of your life. Get in shape, by every definition of the phrase.
--
Let’s dispel half the bull**** you’ll read, right here- right now. The Truth (in no particular order):
1. Muscles can only do one of two things: get bigger or get smaller. This is fundamental. You’re either letting them get smaller, or you’re forcing them to overcompensate and grow. “Toning” and “shaping” your muscles is preposterous.
2. Adipose tissue, or fat, cannot be reduced in any single area. This is called “spot reduction,” and simply has no basis on the way the human body works. People who spit out this bull**** are usually your gym rats who would find it difficult to spell the word “biology.”
3. Supplements are a gimmick that has lasted far too long. Don’t waste your money on protein powder, creatine or any other product that promises faster results. There is no denying that they have their place, but most fail to realize that the place is in the garbage.
4. You are not overtraining. Overtraining is an excuse used by people who are too sore and tired to workout another day. Overtraining does exist, and people who deny it are fools, but you’ll know it if you’re overtraining. You’re going to rest whether you like it or not. If the choice exists: you’re not overtraining.
5. Cardio performed before eating breakfast, or “morning cardio,” is a truly an exercise in futility. If it is in fact true that you are burning a more significant amount of stored fat- it is negligible anyway. If you are, in fact, eating away at muscle mass- you’re still wasting your time. At the end of the day, exercise doesn’t burn fat. A calorie deficit does, and this can be created with cardio at any time of the day, and proper diet.
6. There is absolutely nothing beneficial or healthy about a natural sun-tan. It is true that your body produces Vitamin D, an essential nutrient, in response to sunlight- but this occurs long before your skin produces melanin, the substance that gives your skin that “tanned” look.
7. Running outside is superior to running on a treadmill. There is little to justify the use of a treadmill. Running outside forces you to carry your own weight, and can be done free of charge, essentially year-round in even the most cold climates. Anyone with poor joints, or a high body-fat percentage- should be biking, not running.
8. The abdominal and calf muscles should be treated like any other muscle in the body. Individuals who suggest that because these muscles are used consistently on a daily basis, that they are somehow “different” are wrong- for all intents and purposes.
9. The abdominal muscles, ironically, consist of mostly “fast-twitch muscle fibers”, which means the abdominal muscles respond better to high-weight, low-repetition exercise than bodyweight high-repetition exercise. Therefore, all the kids you see doing 1000 crunches every morning are wasting their time, essentially
10. Having a “six-pack” has little to do with how strong or large your abdominal muscles are. It is directly related to how fat you are. The less, the better, and the more “defined” your abdominal muscles become.
11. As you get older, your metabolism doesn’t just “decrease.” On average, your age-group loses muscle mass- which plays a significant role in your metabolic rate. To a certain extent then, you can maintain your metabolic rate through old-age- through continuous muscle-stimulation.
12. No exercise will make a girl look “bulky.” Gaining muscle mass is inherently more difficult to begin with for women, and the concept of a girl getting “jacked” is unlikely to the point of dismissal. All the women with “big muscles” are on testosterone, a male hormone, and/or steroids. Avoid the two, and you can rest assured that as a woman, you will never look any less womanly.
13. HIIT, or “High-Intensity Interval Training” and LISS Cardio, or “Low Intensity Steady-State Cardio” is purely a matter of preference. Neither one will have a significant impact on your fat loss. Both have benefits, but they are primarily aerobic.
14. Starving yourself will not help you lose fat in any shape, way or form. Nor will throwing your food up. Your body is smarter than you may think. Deny it food, its source of energy, and it will go into what is commonly referred to as “starvation mode.” This is when your body tries to conserve as much energy as possible. You’re telling it that food is scarce. Not wise. Do this and watch the pounds come on.
15. You probably don’t have gynecomastia, or male-breasts. Keep losing fat under the assumption that your body will eventually start consuming the fat stored in your chest. This is a common fear, but fat boys with big-breasts are more common. It is just another copout. “Why bother losing fat, I’ll still have these!” Shut up, no you won’t.
16. Intentional, planned breaks in your diet, or “cheat meals,” are a fantasy. The intent is to raise your metabolism. This can be accomplished by consuming a higher number of healthy calories one day a week. Eating a Snickers bar is not going to help you, sorry.
17. Professional bodybuilders are unhealthy. Incidentally, so are professional endurance runners. Both have weakened immune systems, and have lost or reversed the vast majority of health benefits gained from regular exercise and a healthy diet. This is a broad generalization, but applies quite often.
18. Soy protein should be avoided. Soy protein raises estrogen levels, a hormone directly linked to breast cancer. Furthermore, the general consensus is that soy protein’s benefits are, as far as fitness is concerned, minimal.
19. Everyone claims to bench at least 150 pounds. Don’t be surprised if you go to bench for your first time and you can only put on 95 pounds for a few reps. You are not alone, in fact- a large number of us started that way. It does not sound particularly impressive though, and your friends who can all bench “200 pounds” thought they would never have to prove it to you. When you ask them to be your lifting partner, they will “not have lifted in awhile” and will test your own muscle when they ask you to spot them for the “barbell drop.”
20. As far as fitness, eating before you go to sleep is not going to harm you. It is not recommended for optimal sleep, but it is otherwise not going to harm your progress. This is assuming of course, that the food being consumed stays within the intended meal consumption for the day. Excess food is never good, regardless of your goal.
21. Getting into shape is about a lot of little things, not anything particular. This means that if you breakdown and eat a Hershey bar, it is not all over. In fact, it is moot. You’ll never see or feel the consequences. You only will if you let eating that Hershey bar slide—because if you do, you’ll do it again. And again. And then you’re right back to where you started.
22. Genetics decide everything. The way you look, the way your muscle grows- how fast or slow. There is no changing this. Your role is to adapt to your own genetics, and maximize your own potential. Odds say you aren’t going to look like Arnold, but that really shouldn’t be your intention. Make your intention to be the peak of your capacity, and it is guaranteed that you will be euphoric and satisfied when you finally reach it.
--
There will three components to either your “cut,” which is a phase of fat loss, or “bulk,” which is a phase of muscle-mass gain. These three components are:
Diet: Most important.
Weight Lifting: Second.
Cardio: Third.
