10 Secrets for a Better Workout

#1 – Do not drive your car to the gym.

Either walk, jog, ride a bike, or take the bus. Jogging or riding your bike is your warm up, as soon as you walk in the door you’re pumped up and ready to go, getting home afterwards is your post workout cardio. If you are able to do this then do it!

Also, if more is invested in getting to the gym instead of just sitting in your comfy little car, the harder and more meaningful you will make that workout. We live in a world of comfort and convenience, drop that bullshit and physically get your ass to the gym!

#2 – Train on a light meal.

Your body does not want to go through the effort of digesting food and working out at the same time. You are creating more work for your system. An average sized meal should be consumed at least 90-120 minutes in advance, or no food at all if you train first thing in the morning.

If you have to eat sooner than that, make sure it’s at least an hour in advance but a lighter meal, a good example would be something like tuna fish, egg whites, and for your carbs a small bowl of oats or half a potato. You will work out better this way, trust me on this!

#3 – Avoid ejaculation before you train.

I know this sounds funny, but have you ever tried having sex or whacking off before the gym? It totally zaps you. Don’t do it.

#4 – Black coffee for your pre-workout energy.

I don’t give a damn who says what, nothing works as well as a good old fashioned cup of black coffee for your workouts. I think black coffee is more effective than mixing anything in it, for some reason it seems to get in your system faster. A couple tabs of ephedrine goes well with it too.

Forget the bullshit pre-workout ephedrine that costs $50, the ephedrine HCL is better and cheaper. The sports supplement products cost more because of the way they market it, that same ephedrine sold as a bronchiodialator is cheaper and the same shit. GorillaJack.com is a Canadian site that sells bottles of the shit for a few bucks each. Check em’ out! Stay away from some of the ephedrine based products with other stimulants added in, some of them are just overkill and dangerous.

#5 – Pick a new workout time.

Sometimes something as simple as changing your gym time can be extremely effective. For example, I almost always exercise in the mornings simply due to family obligations and things at home. However, on occasion I do train at night. I notice that when I train at night I’m always stronger, probably due to having a little more energy from food in me throughout the day.

This also breaks up some of the monotony of life, sometimes we get into such a routine everyday that the days just start blending together and nothing is new or exciting to us anymore. This is even more so as we get older and older, our time perception changes and goes by faster. Don’t be afraid to break up the daily routine a little more and flip flop some things.

Also, sometimes it’s nice to get away from those crowded hours at the gym and the distractions. I train at a Gold’s gym, and between 4-7 pm the place is ridiculous. I’m talking so packed people are parking their cars across the street and in adjacent business parking lots. But you won’t have to worry about that anymore if you’re riding your bike or jogging to the gym right?

#6 – Invest in some good headphones.

Fuck these stupid earbud headphones or other cheap ass headphones. I paid $90 for some quality Philips O’Neil headphones that cover my entire ear. You know the ones with the bass boost and padded material that deaden all outside noise? Yeah, the ones the ghetto bangers wear. That’s what I wear, minus ghetto banger music.

The reason I will drop $90 on a set of headphones is simple. Bodybuilding is my biggest hobby, I take it seriously, and good music helps pump up energy in the gym. Not to mention, sometimes the cheaper headphones are loud, but the sound quality is piercing and hurts your ears. A good set of quality headphones that covers your ears is a whole different sound. It’s still loud, but it’s deeper and more of a quality sound, not just noisy.

#7 – LOSE THE GEAR!

By gear I mean weightlifting assistance. This includes wrist wraps, knee wraps, elbow sleeves, a belt, a powerlifting shirt, briefs, and whatever other pantywaist bullshit everyone relies on now just to pick up a weight! I’m not against certain things such as a belt or knee wraps when lifting very heavy weight, but people let this shit become a crutch. Back in the day if you needed wrist wraps then the weight was too heavy for you. So you know how guys fixed this?

THEY ACTUALLY BUILT GIGANTIC FOREARMS TO LIFT THE SHIT!

I do this often, I will leave the gym bag at home and go at it 100% raw. It’s nice not toting a stupid bag with you, and it has allowed me to grow more proportionately. Balance and symmetry is key with me, I like every body part to match the others and flow together nicely. I’m satisfied with 28″ quads at the moment, the last thing I want is some 31″ legs and only 18″ arms. Take these next few months to train with no assistance, if you need to lose some ego then lose it now. Just remember that your goal should be big muscles, not just trying to look like some local bad ass who out lifts everyone with his stupid bench shirt or wrist wraps

#8 – LEAVE YOUR FUCKING CELLPHONE AT HOME OR IN THE CAR!

Don’t even bring the damn thing in the gym period! This should be your time to clear your mind and train, if you cannot even have this 1 hour by yourself without being bothered (usually by someone with some bullshit anyways) then what kind of life is that? There isn’t anything that can’t wait an hour. Do it for your own sanity for Christ’s sake! Actually, try turning the damn thing off the entire day once in awhile. It feels great not being bothered. Trust me!

#9 –  Keep a small logbook.

A small memo book will do fine. This doesn’t need to be anything elaborate, just something to look at so you remember what you did in the gym last time. You should be constantly trying to beat it by either weight or reps, if you go 2 workouts in a row without beating your previous best, it’s time to change that exercise. If you are not beating your prior training in some way, shape, or form, you’re only fooling yourself. Yes you’ll stay in shape, but no you are not changing.

The only exception to this is if you are on a very strict diet and your primary goal is to drop body fat. When I’m training for a competition the goal is to try to stay as strong as I can while losing body fat. But the further I go into the diet the weaker I’ll get, but hey, even if this is the case a logbook is still good to gauge how strong you are staying or maintaining.

#10 – Drop the rep count and go for feel.

Now, this one can be tough. We are so accustomed to counting things that sometimes this seems damn near impossible to do. But if you can manage to do it then I promise you that you’ll have some great sets. When you forget what rep you’re on, you’re getting into the muscle and the feeling more. That mind muscle connection gets stronger and now you’re working out the way your body wants to, strictly by feel! Now I know what you’re thinking, this totally contradicts tip #9 with the logbook but these are little things that I rotate out at any given time. Nothing is sealed in blood here. I frequently change tactics.

So give some of these tips a shot if you’re bored or looking to change it up a bit. Remember, this takes several years of hard work and dedication! Nobody just wakes up one day like they crawled out of a magazine. This takes more focus and determination than most people will ever have.

Just ask yourself this one question, how many days can you look back on and say that you gave 110% on that given day. Hell I can’t. Even workouts that I feel were 110% were probably 80%, because I’m capable of so much more than I realize. We all are. Nobody was put on this earth to rust and rot.

Think of soldiers, do they just go into battle without a plan? That battle plan starts from the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep. When you’re forcing yourself to eat those eggs, jogging to that gym, leaving that phone at home or in your car, that’s all part of the plan. Those other slack fucks in there for social hour have no plan. They will fall victim to life’s bullshit. I have no mercy for the weak.

So just remember next time your in there, its not a workout, its a fucking war! Train hard!

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16 thoughts on “10 Secrets for a Better Workout”

  1. Good stuff. I’ve been avoiding ephedra because of all the extra crap they put in them but the ephedrine hcl from gorilljack looks great. I am most likely going to buy a couple bottles within the next couple weeks.

    I currently drink a black coffee before my workout with 20 grams of BCAA.’s then another 20 grams BCAA during my workout. I was thinking of adding beta-alanine and AAKG to my pre workout mix. But now you introduced me to this ephedrine hcl.

    Do you think Beta-alanine and AAKG are good to add to my pre workout cocktail? Or should I just stick with coffee and ephedrine hcl?

    Reply
    • I personally dont use them, I’ve never used beta alanine actually, nor AAKG. I think the ephedra HCL and black coffee would be enough

      Reply
      • Sounds good. I am bulking right now and after researching ephedrine hcl it seems like it might speed up my metabolism too much and limit my gains. Not sure if I’m reading it right though. I also read about yohimbine hcl as a stimulant for working out that preserves muscle while burning fat.

        What are your thoughts on ephedrine hcl or yohimbine hcl while bulking?

        Reply
          • Cool thanks. I’m going to grab some pure AAKG for pre workout for the next 2 months and mix with my coffee then switch to ephedrine hcl for the last month when I’m cutting.

            How does that sound?

  2. PS. I’ve been trying to gain weight for 3 and half months now. I started at 210 now I’m 218. I started the 50 thousand transformation challenge this monday, so I have 3 months to make the best body transformation to win. My plan is to bulk the next 2 months then cut out the protein powder and a huge amount of carbs and try to stay in a calorie surplus eating mainly protein and fat for the last month while cutting. Most likley I’ll be adding 3 days of HIIT cardio after my workouts per week for the last month as well.

    What do you think about that setup?

    Reply
  3. hey john,

    ok i have to admit it, i am a gym addict. i workout out 6 days a week. ive been lifting for about 4 years now, and i have a decent physique. basically i train even if im sore (training brings out endorphine, so it gets me through the workout finely)

    the problem though is i’m quite uncertain though if that is already (for the lack of words to describe, even if i dont believe in it) “overtraining”

    if you could share anything about the truth between training 6 days( and i mean intense workouts each day) to CNS to maximizing gains. Do you go for quantity given that quality is assured each workout? Does it depend if your prepping for a show, or like maintaing, or when bulking?

    to be honest im not a fan of bulking(dirty that is). Others go by it as “lean bulking”. Slowly but surely is the way. im currently 165 and 5’8″ @ around 9% BF BTW, and would like to reach 180 or something. im just 21 though so i dont like to fk up anything with my hormones(taking advantage of it while i can)

    Just by reading your blog i have already a lot of respect for you. Any inputs from you are well appreciated. Thanks

    Reply
    • Oh btw, this is my training split

      Monday = chest(heavy)(5-6 sets,10-12 reps)/triceps(light)(2-3 sets,12-15 reps)/sit-ups-crunches
      Tuesday = back(heavy)(5-6 sets,10-12 reps)/biceps(light)(2-3 sets,12-15 reps)/leg raises
      Wednesday = legs(heavy)(5-6 sets,10-12 reps)/calves(bust the shit out of it)/obliques
      Thursday = chest(light)(4 sets,12-15 reps)/triceps(heavy)(4 sets,10-12 reps)/sit-ups-crunches
      Friday = back(light)(4 sets,12-15 reps)/biceps(heavy)(4 sets,10-12 reps)/leg raises
      Saturday = legs(light)(4 sets,12-15 reps)/calves(heavy)(4 sets,10-12 reps)/sit-ups-crunches
      Sunday = off

      I see results with that workout, but i would just like to know am i not utilizing my time properly, im switching to 4 days on-1 day off and then to 3 days on- 1 day off. try to see and compare results.

      Reply
      • I definitely believe overtraining is a real issue. Its just logical, you only have so many surplus calories and only so much recovery ability. If overtraining wasn’t real then you wouldn’t go into the gym after a few days off and have a killer workout where you trained heavier than you normally could. Sometimes you have to loosen the diet up a bit. Some of the biggest and best bodies I’ve seen were from guys who ate and trained instinctively. My advice is if you’re not gaining then make training more infrequent, and increase calories. Obsessive compulsiveness to be in the gym all the time is what kills progress with 90% of guys who train. I also enjoy being in the gym and don’t know wtf to do with myself when I’m not. This is why I came up with my SCT training routine. It allowed me to be in the gym frequently, but still focus on recovery by prioritizing certain days where I just did things like abs, cardio, sauna, stretches

        Reply
        • there are different views though about muscle hypertrophy and such.

          others believe that a natty should be working out 4 days tops a week. while others say that natty should work 6-7 days a week because of the lack of hormones.

          Personally, i think i still have the gains, mirror-wise(i look better each day) but on the weighing scale, i just play around 160-165 lbs. I want to stay conditioned year round so i dont lke the idea of putting on too much weight. like they say, mirror(not the weighing scale) in bodybuilding is your best friend.

          i would want to try some test E though, but i do think its not yet the right time(@ age 21).

          Reply
          • Everyone responds differently. I am also of the opinion that in the beginning it’s fine to work out 6 days/wk. Your body responds to practically anything when you’re new to the gym (1 year or less) But let me hit you with this, do you think you need more recovery when your new and using 225 on a squat, or when your seasoned and using 405 on a squat? There will come a point when your nervous system and recovery ability just can’t handle it anymore. Steroids enhance recovery ability, that is a fact!! There is no possible way a natural guy is going to go on training 6-7 days per week and gaining at the same rate. All of the guys you read about hyping twice/day lifts, 6 days a week in the gym, etc etc, they’re on a shitload of performance enhancers. THEY CAN GET BY WITH THAT, a natural guy can’t if he’s training with extreme intensity.

            If something works for you then by all means keep going, if it’s not broke then don’t fix it. But definitely try both methods before making an accurate judgment. If someone told me 15 years ago that a full body split done with low volume 3x/wk would make me grow quicker, I would have told them they were crazy. But then I tried it one day, and for me it worked, extremely well. I was growing like a weed again, getting comments everyday, and using less shit than before.

  4. well this is all great info I have been reading it is true natural body builders can’t recover from intense training like some one who’s juiced nor can can they build mass muscle like the elite body builders I’ve done both one thing natural body builders need more down time to repair and so it would be quite easy to over train with out higher level of test in your system people don’t under stand the more food you eat the more your levels go down so with out a abundance of extras test in your system your spinning your wheels you might look good but we as body builder we are always looking for improvement in size and strength and balance

    Reply
  5. Great tips, I really liked the tip to just drop the weight and lift by feel. I usually use a log and lowering the weight felt like heresy but damn the pump was good and my muscles were sore the next day.

    Totally worth it.

    Reply

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