What’s a good solid pre workout meal??
I would say try to stick to something that digests fairly quickly
and won’t make you feel overly full.
Something like a quick protein shake with some berries, spinach,
and almond milk would do the trick and works for me.
You always want to get in a protein for sure no matter what.
Depending on how much time you got, I would go for a quick
digesting protein like I mentioned above with a protein shake mix.
I now use Prograde Protein for this.
If you have a bit more time and want to go for real food, I would
go with some egg whites or even a handful of almonds. Both of
these would be good pre-workout energy suppliers and have worked
great for me.
If getting shredded is you overall goal, I would recommend to skip
over this next option due to the amount of sugar…
Bananas…. 
You you could also go for eating a large organic orange as oranges
have a similar effect on your body as does NO2…
I tried it a few times and it feels pretty good. I’m not a huge
orange fan so I don’t do it very often.
There’s something about the vitamin C in an orange that helps
jacks you up a bit and gets you more pumped up and ready to go.
Mix that and a green tea and you’re set 😉
A quick digesting protein shake and an apple would do the trick as
well!
The only thing that is a must is the protein… Gotta have it!
If I’m already doing your Bags, Bells, and Bodyweight Training
Program (which is BRUTAL BTW), plus adding in a few HIIT sessions per week as you mentioned to do on my off days, what would be the next best thing to lose more fat faster?
If you’re already training that intensely with resistance 3 days a
week + already adding in HIIT cardio, you should be losing fat at a
pretty high rate already… That’s IF you’re eating properly.
Best thing would be to make sure you’re properly rotating your
carbs. So foods like your berries and other fruits, plus if you’re
eating starchier carbs like sweet potatoes, pumpkin, or quinoa should
only be eaten on your heavy / intense workout days, then try to go
low to no carb on your off / HIIT days.
One other thing to add in if you got the time would be to walk on
an empty stomach in the early AM. You would want to take in a BCAA
of some sort but NOTHING else.
I’ve been taking a BCAA from Scivation called Extend. I take it post workout only…
I used to walk on an empty stomach when I was prepping for my bodybuilding show a few years back and I was getting super shredded because due to fasted walking.
You can do 30 to even 60 mins of a brisk walk but, nothing too intense as you need to be at a medium level in order to use fat as energy.
You must be in a fasted state for this to work…
You could do this 5-6 days a week if you wanted to.
If you could just pick one exercise to build up your biceps, what would it be???
For this, I would have to say the rope climb, with no legs of course.
If you can get access to a rope to do climbs with, I feel this is the very best exercise not only to work your biceps a ton, but to also strengthen up your back, shoulders, and core (if you do L-Seat Climbs).
If you don’t have a hanging rope, throw one over a squat rack and do recline rope climbs with your feet on the floor or on a bench for more intensity.
You could even use a towel….
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLwOGGcp3mc[/youtube]
I always laugh when I watch these old videos when my partner Joe and I used to train at a large corporate gym. Even though we didn’t have the gym we have now, we made things happen!
For those of you out there that only have access to a corporate gym, here you go…
Modified rope climbs for more Jacked and BIGGER arms…
Just a quick recommendation – don’t do these everyday as you’ll strain your biceps or worse, mess up your elbows.
I would say to do rope climbs 2 x’s a week max…..
Live Aggressive and Get Strong!
Got Questions about Training, Nutrition, Life??? Post em up in the comments or shoot them over to me at theforgedathlete@gmail.com