Natural Bodybuilding, Fitness, and Peak Performance

“Mental Fitness” before “Physical Fitness”: The one thing many well-intentioned people are missing.

When I was fresh out of the military and had just joined Gold’s Gym in my mid-twenties, I was briefly acquainted with a young woman who had just broken into the ‘personal trainer’ industry. She’d been at it for only a few months when a passing conversation I had with her revealed the frustrations she was experiencing with that business. She told me it was often like “babysitting”, whereby she struggled to get her clients to follow through on their prescribed workouts and eating plans. I felt both the implicit humor and biting frustration in an experience she shared:

“One client showed up for his workout and then told me he needed to go to the restroom. As I waited for him outside – I never saw him come out of the restroom. In fact, I never saw him again.”

Wow… I can vouch for the fact that the restroom she was referring to had no rear exit door. That guy either escaped through the rafters or she briefly took her eyes off the front door. At any rate, her client wasn’t only unmotivated to work out – he was highly motivated to escape undetected.

"Mental Fitness" can optimize 'workout focus' so that "physical fitness" becomes easier

That story – with its humor and slightly tragic undertone – is revealing of the need for “mental training” before “physical training” in the physique improvement and fitness arena. We’re often told how physical fitness will improve our mental and emotional well-being. Yet we’re rarely reminded of how a good mental game needs to precede the physical one in order to make the physical one effective and achievable. And it raises the proverbial “chicken and egg” question: Does mental fitness come first to help provide physical fitness or is physical fitness the priority so as to create mental fitness? I’ve found the former to be more important – especially for those individuals who’ve spent most of their years on the sedentary side and haven’t developed much of their ‘mind/body connection.’ Once that’s developed, improved well-being and self-esteem from having a stronger and shapelier body becomes a catalyst that keeps motivation self-perpetuating.

What is ‘Mental Fitness’ for ‘Physical Fitness?’

I always divide the issue of ‘mental fitness for physical fitness’ into a macro-level and a micro-level. Unsurprisingly, the macro-level issues typically need to be addressed before the micro-level ones can be applied for fitness optimization. Dealing with the macro issues is the only method I know of that can prevent the kind of “disappearing through the backdoor of the gym” scenario described above. Macro-level issues for ‘mental fitness’ include the following:

• Motivation
• Confidence
• Breaking Negative Habits
• Creating a Compelling Future
• Physically Empowered Self-Image

Can working out and improving one’s body create these positive mental conditions? Yes… but often too slowly. We run the risk of escaping the gym through a trap-door or letting an inch of dust collect on our home gym equipment before this can take effect. That’s why I recommend dealing with the ‘mental fitness’ before the ‘physical fitness’ in most cases.

So what constitutes the micro-level of ‘mental fitness?’

That’s where we get into things such as “workout performance” and “weight lifting concentration” and even “inter-workout recuperation performance.” If you want to really change your body for the better, think of yourself as an athlete and your workouts as athletic performances. If you’ve been the sedentary type, this will be easier to do once you’ve addressed the macro-level ‘mental fitness for physical fitness’ issues and optimized them.

The field of NLP provides a terrific array of tools for optimizing mental fitness for physical fitness. I use many of them with my clients. However, I don’t limit myself to them either. There are also skills within the fields of sports psychology and mental training that are just as valuable.

One thing worth mentioning: Good mental fitness needs to work synergistically with a physical fitness program. Even the best mental training can be completely ruined by physical training that doesn’t provide a trainee with positive feedback – both psychological and physiological. HardBody Success shows trainers and trainees alike how to make their mental fitness for physical fitness work synergistically – whereby their combined effect is greater than their individual effects.

“Highest Calorie Sandwich” on the “Worst Sandwiches” List is NOT a sin in my opinion

Being that my previous entry dealt with hamburgers, I feel this is as good a time as any to discuss something I ran across in Yahoo headlines recently. It was an article which lists the '10 Worst Sandwiches in America.' It was written by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding, the authors of ‘Eat This, Not That.’

First off, I think the gist of what the article shares is valuable. Most of us are fairly cognizant of our consumption of mega calorie intake any time we indulge in oversized sandwiches made of mayonnaise-dowsed fried meats and bacon. But an awareness of the exact number of calories contained within can be an eye-opener nonetheless. So ‘the 10 Worst Sandwiches in America’ is educational in terms of letting us know the detailed caloric numbers as the list builds up to its number one: the ‘highest calorie sandwich’ in a U.S. restaurant.

Is anyone really not aware that big sandwiches on the "worst sandwiches" list contain a lot of calories?

That dubious distinction goes to the ‘Grilled Shrimp and Bacon Club’ by the ‘Cheesecake Factory.’ It received a wrathful condemnation in the article for its nearly two-thousand calories and almost three-thousand milligrams of sodium. Yet even with my passion for bodybuilding and fitness, the distinction is not really dubious to me. Why should it be; Nobody puts a gun to my head and makes me eat the thing – do they?

But I like the fact that if I do want to eat one, I have that choice. Or I could eat half of one and save the other half ‘til tomorrow. Or I could eat a fourth of one four times throughout the day or a fourth of one per day for the next four days. I could eat a fourth of one now and share the other three quarters with three friends. Or I could just eat the whole 2,000 calories of this “culinary pariah” of the ’10 Worst Sandwiches list’ in one fell swoop, just for occasional, gluttonous fun.

What’s my point; why am I bringing this up?

Something rubbed me the wrong way toward the end of the “worst sandwiches” article. David Zinczenko and/or Matt Goulding couldn’t resist the opportunity to label Cheesecake Factory as “irresponsible” – implicitly supporting a mandate by the state of California whereby the restaurant has had to disclose the calorie content of their cheesecakes and other high calorie menu items to the consuming public.

Lest anyone panic at the thought that I own stock in the parent company of Cheesecake Factory or that I’m making this blog into a political one (the most popular kind) – I assure you, the former is not the case and the latter would steer me too far out of the particular focus of benefit I preserve for my readers. However, for the record, I’m a staunch believer in individual liberty. As such, I know both intellectually and intuitively how individual liberty is inextricably linked to personal responsibility.  I can see the ugly writing on the wall in this case of the state stepping in and telling the owners of a private enterprise that they’re responsible (however implicitly at this point) for the fat gains of their “unsuspecting” costumers.

Is Cheesecake Factory really “irresponsible” as Zinczenko and Goulding explicitly say toward the end of their “10 Worst Sandwiches in America” article? Only to the degree that we declare we’re not responsible (and free) to choose what we want to eat on a meal-by-meal basis, for better or worse. Cheesecake Factory is just a business that’s selling something. Their very survival in a free market is dependent on them selling something that people actually want. Moreover, they’re NOT selling something with potentially unhealthy content that you and I aren’t at least intuitively aware of; I’ve always known when I eat excess amounts of calories – even before I knew anything about nutrition.

When I was a fat guy, it was my choice to be that way. However much I might have tried to bury it, I knew deep inside that it was my choice of habits – not bad genetics or “irresponsible restaurants” - that had my gut spilling over my belt. And in fact, it was this “personal responsibility” state of mind that was the prerequisite for getting and maintaining the lean body that I enjoy having now.

A “highest calorie sandwich” list is only representative of “tools” within one’s grab-bag of knowledge of what it takes to get and stay lean. It’s only when the mentality outlined in the previous paragraph, coupled with an empowered self-image, sink in at the subconscious level that indefinite leanness is acquired and enjoyed.

As always, your opinions are welcome.

‘Bodybuilding Nutrition’: Is it okay to eat a “body building hamburger” – or do they only build sections of the body you don’t want to build?

Some people will likely be surprised to hear the following, seemingly dichotomous confession:

When I was an overeating fat-body, I consumed a lot of cheeseburgers. Since I’ve become a “lean-body”, I still consume cheeseburgers. In fact, I don’t think I’ll ever give up the fairly regular eating of this ‘favorite among foods’ for me. It’s simply a matter of knowing how to make what I’d consider a “body building hamburger” as compared with the calorie-dense variety you’re likely to get at the fast-food restaurants or down at the greasy-spoon café.

Cheeseburger as "bodybuilding nutrition?" Only with a bit of modification.

The basic ingredients of a hamburger are not all that bad for you and needn’t be completely off the “bodybuilding nutrition” list. It’s mostly the heaps of add-ons that so typically get piled on these sandwiches that can have them contributing more to an expanded waistline than to expanded pectoral measurements. The way they’re cooked is also a big factor; determining how much grease remains in the eaten patty and how much drips through a grill or drains out into a pan (can anyone say “George Foreman ‘Knock-Out-The-Fat’ Grill?”).

It’s definitely the added-in condiments, high-glycemic/calorie buns, and (without-a-doubt) side-orders of fries that make the regular devouring of a fast-food “value meal” into a hazard to one’s shape and long-term health. Yet it only takes a little tweaking here and there, a definite dose of moderation, and discrimination among establishments for obtaining these tasty and satiating morsels to switch to what I’d term a ‘body building hamburger.’

Let’s say you head out to a burger joint like Texas-based Fuddruckers where you can build the sandwich exactly the way you want. If you’re like I am, you can easily down a one pound beef patty between two lightly toasted sides of wheat bread. However, it’d be best to opt away from that choice given the horrendous calorie wallop a pound of 25% fat-laden beef is packing, especially if you anticipate being sedentary for the hours following the meal. If you have a calorie-burning trip to the gym scheduled? Well, then you can probably get away with it.

If you trim it down to a half-pound patty, you’ve got something below a thousand calories. This is what I go for on occasion. A half pound burger on a wheat bun and a generous heap of moist tomato slices and lettuce to replace the condiments is just a bit over 900 calories. Of course, most of the calories are from fat; the ratio breakdown is about 20% protein, 20% carbs, and 60% dietary fat.  The actual amount of fat in the burger comes out to be approximately 60 grams; not a measure to take lightly but acceptable in my book if not eaten often and counterbalanced with relatively moderate carbohydrate intake in the same meal.

Keeping the carbohydrate portion of the meal relatively light when the dietary fat in the meal is too high is something I now do instinctively. And this is where keeping condiments off a “body building hamburger” makes quite a difference. Condiments such as ketchup, mayonnaise, or “special sauce” are typically loaded with additional fat and/or sugary calories. Since a decent-sized ground beef patty is rather calorie-dense by itself, the condiment additions – especially when spread on thick – can really put it over the edge. Simply adding a lot of tomato slices can actually replace ketchup for adding flavor and moisture to a burger.

Now… why would I call this a “body building hamburger?” Because it definitely provides a good dose of high quality protein: about 45 grams. It’s got about another 45 grams of carbs – give or take a few. The fat content’s what’s questionable, yet that can be offset with high activity following a meal like this and a counterbalance of lower fat and calorie intake from other meals on a day when the burger is eaten.

If this is reduced to a quarter-pound burger, it’ll provide around 538 calories with 50% of them coming from fat, 34% from carbs, and 16% from protein. We’ll get about 30 grams of fat, 45 grams of carbs, and 22 grams of protein. If we add a slice of cheddar cheese (my favorite) to the mix, we’ll get around 642 calories: 55% from fat, 17% from protein, and 28% from carbs. The grams of each macronutrient with the cheese is 39 grams of fat, 29 grams of protein, and 45 grams of carbohydrates.

Now… if we really want to make this ‘body building hamburger’ into something worthy of being on a “bodybuilding nutrition” food list instead of a cheat meal list, we could make it at home using ground beef with 5% fat content. This would actually reduce the half-pound burger from around 900 calories down to about 630 calories. It would bring the quarter pounder from 538 calories down to 423.

In an upcoming blog entry and/or video, I will demonstrate how to create a complete burger meal with macronutrient ratios worthy of being an ongoing entry on a “bodybuilding nutrition” menu. Until then, indulge heartily, as I do, in the restaurant burgers – with the caveat that some selectiveness, modification, moderation, and intelligent timing can keep the taste-buds satisfied while keeping one’s bodily fat cells from filling with lard.

‘Steroids and Athletes’: What about Steroids and Personal Fitness Trainers?

I know of a guy who took so many steroids as a competitive bodybuilder, he’s now having multiple health problems in his later middle-aged years. At fifty-something, his physique is a shell of its former drug-built glory. Interestingly, he moonlights as a ‘personal fitness trainer.’ My question: Would you hire him as a personal trainer? If you’re training your body naturally, would he effectively show you what to do to build a better body?

We’ve all heard the media hoopla over ‘steroids and athletes.’ We saw the latest episode just recently as Mark McGwire “came clean” about his drug use over a decade after the fact.  This aroused all the interest of a collective shrug from the public who probably suspected intuitively if not from the ‘steroids in baseball’ scandal that occurred between McGwire’s ’98 record-breaking season and his present-day emotional confession.

Steroids and other 'bodybuilding drugs': Not just a question in baseball

But I’ve got a question for which the answer has more personal implications than whether one’s favorite pro athlete is taking or has taken anabolic steroids, especially if you hire a personal fitness trainer: Has your trainer used steroids?

Why is this important?

Because personal fitness trainers are sought after for alleged expertise within the very context that gets distorted with the use of bodybuilding drugs – namely: ‘how to build a nice physique.’ If a person builds all or most of his or her own musculature with the use of powerful drugs, where will that person have gained the necessary knowledge to help you add muscle and strength to your body using purely natural means?

This ‘steroids and personal fitness trainers’ question might seem an opaque diversion on my part, but it has its warrant in practicality. I’ve seen dozens of clients of personal trainers who unknowingly didn’t stand a chance of gaining muscle because the trainers had them on routines that could only produce gains with the help of anabolic steroids. Overtraining is an understatement in describing the condition these trainers produce for their client’s bodies. Adding a financial issue to the bodily one, clients are often paying substantial hourly rates to be guided through activity that, at best, teaches them proper exercise form and, at worst, conditions them with habits that leave them perpetually in the “no-gain zone.” This is not something I’d think would be considered worth the money.

I owe it to my Clients and Readers: Proof that I’ve not used Bodybuilding Drugs

Now… if an athlete or personal fitness trainer passes a drug urinalysis test, it only proves one thing: they had no drugs in their system at the time the test was administered. However, since the effects of steroids on accelerated strength gains, muscle gains, and improved athletic performance have lasting benefit, it’s not too difficult for steroid users to cycle on and off the drugs in order to reap the advantages of using them while appearing “clean” on these tests. The same goes for competitive bodybuilders and personal fitness trainers.

What’s my point?

Simply this: A polygraph test is the only type that can currently provide an indication of one’s life-time status of drug use. And when administered by an experienced and skilled technician, this testing is extremely accurate.

That’s why I decided to take one for the benefit of my clients and readers. In a world where many former steroid users call themselves “natural bodybuilders” when it’s time to charge money for personal training services, it’s important to separate the ‘current naturals’ from the ‘life-time naturals.’ It’s important for fitness clients to at least be aware of the ‘steroids and personal fitness trainers’ possibility.

Click here for my Steroid Polygraph Test

Am I claiming that all muscular personal trainers have used steroids or that every former steroid user is “lost” when it comes to the context of natural bodybuilding? Of course not; I can’t possibly know that and I can only share what I’ve personally observed. And what I’ve observed for certain is a huge discord between what’s practiced in gyms by thousands and what really works for the genetically average trainee who doesn’t use bodybuilding drugs. It’s when this discord is intuitively being experienced that a client/trainee should ask themselves whether the routine they’re on is realistic or only beneficial to the ‘pharmaceutically enhanced.’

After all, if your body’s being trained naturally – you wouldn’t want to be led astray by someone who’s never really walked a mile in your shoes.