Today I received a question from Dave. Hey Justin, I will be travelling home to Ireland to visit family over the Xmas for 2 weeks, so won’t be doing any weight training until I go back to the gym. My question is, “Can you lose muscle if you stop lifting weights for a few weeks? […]
Continue reading
This 3 day split workout routine is ideal for beginners starting out lifting weights. This workout will work every muscle group which will allow maximize muscle growth and recovery. Training Frequency Your workouts will be divided over the course of a 3 day period. Monday – Workout 1: Chest, Triceps & Shoulders Tuesday – Rest […]
Continue reading
Pull ups, dips and push ups are some of the best upper body exercises for building muscle and strength simultaneously. What’s even more effective is that you can attach as much weight as you like to a weight belt and perform each of these exercises. This is a great way to really test how strong you […]
Continue reading
In this post I’m going to share my 8 most highly effective back exercises for mass. I don’t know about you but I only train back once a week. So, I try to give it my all in every workout and you can too. I have included a back workout program at the end of […]
Continue reading
There are lots of diet plans on the internet which tell you how many calories the average person should consume each day. However, nobody is average and everyone is different. Personally, I was never a fan of counting calories. I thought, “Why bother, I’m already getting great results from my diet and workout program”. Read: Why […]
Continue reading
Make sure to get the right amount of protein in your diet, in the form of animal fats throughout the day
Protein such as chicken, eggs and other lean meats will help increase testosterone levels that encourage muscle growth and reduces body fat.
All protein substances should be low in fat.
Good Proteins :
I suggest grilling or baking your meat under a grill or in the oven. You can sprinkle seasoning over your meat for flavor instead of using sauces, which aren’t good for you.
Continue reading
Photo Credit: David Saddler (Creative Commons)[/caption]We all know that eating healthy, rich foods are no doubt the most important aspect to gain muscle and burn fat and the better results we’ll achieve both in the short and long term.
This includes eating the right kind of foods and the right portion sizes at the right time.
It doesn’t matter how many days you work hard at the gym, if you don’t give your body the right amount of proteins, carbs and fats, you will not get the results you want.
In today’s world, it can be very difficult to stick to a strict diet and that can be for many different reasons such as our daily activities and work schedule.
This is one of the main reason’s why a lot of people give up on their muscle building and fat burning goals.
Because of their current circumstances, they give up and begin to think that getting in shape is not for them.
The most common exercise that most people have is that they don’t have the time to eat clean.
It’s not that they don’t have the time, it’s because they have no idea how they should be eating, or they’re too lazy to make an effort.
But reality it’s just as easy to follow a healthy muscle building and fat burning meal plan than it does to eat junk food all day long.
Continue reading
A few years ago, I used to skip leg day.
I would much prefer to train my upper body, because it’s the one part that most people can see, unless you’re living in a hot country and wear shorts all the time.
I remember thinking to myself, If I don’t train legs, I’ll look ridiculous with a huge upper body and tiny chicken legs.
The thought of going to the gym to do squats and leg presses made me want to skip them entirely or do basic leg curls and leg extensions. Anything to avoid, my legs feeling like jelly after doing squats for the first time.
I thought to myself, “why go through the hassle to train legs, they will take forever to grow!”.
I realised, it was just a limiting belief I had, and that I could build muscle on my legs the same as I did with my upper body.
Fast forward a few years later and I’m repping out 170 kg squats and lashing out leg presses like there’s no tomorrow.
It’s only when you start making progress and the results are clearly visable, that’s when you actually look forward to “Leg day” each week.
I know my legs aren’t as big as the huge bodybuilding types, but at least they can’t call me chicken legs anymore. 🙂
For me, squats are the best leg exercise that has major mass building effects when done properly.
Also, having a strong core makes a huge difference because it also targets your abs and obliques.
There are so many benefits of squats and I have already written a few articles on this topic. If you haven’t read them yet, here they are:
20 reasons why you should squat and how to do them correctly
10 Benefits of squats for women
Nowadays squats are a hugely popular exercise among men and women because it is the single most effective exercise that engages your glutes, quads, hamstrings and other muscles you probably never knew.
If you guys are looking to gain size on your arms and shoulders then I’ve got a killer shoulder and arm workout in store for you.
This workout routine contains visual demonstrations of some of the most highly effective exercises that will no doubt pack on serious muscle mass.
These are just a few of my favorite shoulder and arm exercises that I have been doing for years. There are tons more but this is all you really need to get the job done!
Exercise 1: Military Press
Exercise 2: Barbell Upright Rows
Exercise 3: Dumbbell Front Raise
Exercise 4: Standing Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise
Exercise 5: Barbell Shoulder Shrugs
Exercies 1: Standing Barbell Curls
Exercies 2: Skull Crushers
Exercies 3: Dumbell Hammer Curls
Exercies 4: Overhead Rope Extension
Exercies 5: Cable Bicep Curls
Exercies 6: Weighted Dips
Exercies 7: Preacher Curls
Do these exercises twice a week to build core strength and tone up your stomach. It should take you 30 minutes to do twice a week.
Continue reading
I have already written quite a good few posts on this topic, but this one is more of a picture and video tutorial to demonstrate the exercises.
It’s much better to train your entire core, unlike what most people do when they train abs, basic crunches sit-ups, ab machine…
I do mostly weighted ab exercises that involve dumbbells, weight plates and cable machines.
It doesn’t matter how many sets or reps you do when you train your core, you obviously need to have low body fat that’s why a clean diet and cardio is important.
Continue reading
use these tips and suggestions in your own daily meal plan.
I usually prepare breakfast within 5 minutes of waking up.
Breakfast for me isn’t always the same, but I generally eat eggs with whatever else i’m having.
It depends how I feel, I might I have an omelette, boiled eggs, or scrambled eggs.
If I decide to have boiled eggs for breakfast, I’ll put 3-4 eggs in a pot and let it boil for 15 minutes.
If I decide to eat an omelette, I’ll mix into a bowl, 2 whole eggs, 4 egg whites, half cup tomatoes, lettuce or spinach.
I’ll use a non-stick olive oil cooking spray on the pan, then pour in omelette mixture and let it cook for 10-15 minutes.
Read my High Protein Low Carb Chicken and Egg Omelette Recipe
If I decide to have scrambled eggs, I’ll mix 2 whole eggs and 4 egg whites into a breakfast bowl and then let it heat up in the microwave for 3-5 minutes.
I just did my first bodybuilding show (Novice) on October 3rd 2015 and despite not winning my class, I have no regrets, finally being able to stand on stage is a bit of a dream come true for me. I probably should have competed years ago while I was still in decent shape, but all I […]
Continue reading
Growing up, I was a always told, “If you want to get a six pack, you need to do a load of sit-ups and crunches”. What a load of crap!
That would never work for anybody, even with low body fat.
I used to look at guys with shredded abs and think they were just genetically gifted and I would have no chance of getting abs like those guys.
If only I knew back then what I know now, I would have given myself a huge kick up the arse!!
If your reading this and you’re think it’s impossible for you to get ripped abs, then let me tell you…
It’s only when I actually started working out at the gym and managed to build muscle in every area of my body, only then did I realize It was possible to get six pack abs.
If I had no problem building my upper body, then why should it be any different getting a shredded six pack?
If you can involve an equal amount of effort you put into getting a shredded core as you do with the rest of your body, then you’ll be well on your way to achieving your goal.
I learned how to burn fat and get ripped mostly through trial and error, just learning and apply different exercises to my routine.
Continue reading
If you are used to doing the same chest workout every single week, then here are 7 chest workouts you should be doing if you want increase size and strength, and of course the more intense your workout the greater the results.
It’s time to add a variety of chest exercises that will increase your muscle building potential.
I usually aim for 3-4 sets of each exercise with at least 30 seconds rest between sets.
Here is a workout for you to follow. It might seem like a lot but when you actually do the workout, it’s not as difficult as you may think.
Continue reading
Download or print this chest and triceps workout that you can do for the entire month of September. It’s a good idea to change your routine every few weeks or every month.
Continue reading
ice-cream and cake, If it satisfied my hunger, I was happy.
I never really gave much thought to eating healthy, as long as I was going to the gym regularly and training hard, all was good.
My workouts have been always pretty intense anyway, so no matter how many cookies or bowls of cereal I ate, I would never feel guilty about it. I just wanted to look big and strong.
A lot of bodybuilders today, say that you need to eat anything and everything during off peak, in order to bulk up. In some ways this is true. But what If you want to get big without all the bulk? That’s what I have been wanting to do for years, but I had no idea where to start.
I had a friend that used to say to me jokingly, yet he was serious, “Justin, if you want to build muscle and get ripped, you need to go on a “See Food Diet”. In other words, any food you see, “EAT IT”!
I tried that for years, but I never managed to achieve the kind of body I wanted. What I really wanted was, to look big, lean and muscular, without all the bulk (fat).
Here’s a photo of what I looked like before I learned what foods to eliminate.
After an intense cardio and core workout at the gym, I decided to make a short video on a yummy little high protein veggie omelette I cooked today. Irish style :).
You might think I should have added more ingredients for flavor, but I can’t be too picky since I’ll be competing in a few weeks time. Trying to keep my body fat as low as possible.
This is a very basic and easy to cook omelette, with most of the calories coming from the eggs rather than the vegetables.
To reduce the calories, I used two medium sized eggs and two egg whites. I rarely, if ever count my calories. But if you would like to know, there is 70 calories per egg, which means 140 calories and two egg whites, 34 calories.
Continue reading
Hi Justin, I want to start going to the gym for the first time to lift weights. But I have no one to go with me. I know that on exercises like the bench press, or the squat, you need a spotter. But I do not have anyone to go to the gym with. What […]
Continue reading
Whether you want to call them, v-cut abs, v shaped abs or sex lines, girls go crazy over them. It’s that lower ab region that is eye catching that a lot guys struggle to get.
If you want to know how to get v shaped lower abs, first you need to lower your body fat to at least 10% or less. For women, it’s a little higher.
Most of you reading this would be quite happy with having “Abs” to begin with, and that’s fine. I’m going to share how I got a six pack as well as how I lowered my body fat to get those v cut abs we all want.
Also Read: My workout and diet plan to get ripped
The less body fat you have on your stomach the better chance that V-cut will show.
If you are anything over 15% body fat, then it’s going to take a lot of hard work and commitment to sculpt that lower part of your abdominal muscles.
Doing lots of crunches and sit-ups won’t do you any justice. That’s why you need to get your body fat percentage down to at least 10% for your abs to look clearly visible.
That’s why cardio is a must. Regular cardio will take much longer to reduce body fat, that’s why I recommend HIIT of some kind (e.g. out-door springs, HIIT on a treadmill, hill sprints).
These are the most effective fat burning workout’s that make it easier to lower your body fat and to get that chiseled eye-catching v line abs.
Right now, my body fat percentage is around 10 percent and in just a few more weeks before competing on stage, I want to get my body fat down to at least 7%.
Continue reading