How Much Weight?

 Why Won’t Anyone Tell Me How Much Weight to Lift?

Any good lifting program you find on the internet or in a book will likely list exercises, sets, reps, rest periods, and days per week, but will say nothing about how much weight to use.  That’s because it’s your job to figure out the weight.  And it’s not that hard, but it’s going to take some trial and error.  Plan on your first week of a new exercise or program to be mostly about figuring your weights out.  After that, you can put the pedal to the metal.

Here’s How

Get ready to do your first exercise.  If you’ve never done it before, practice the form with the lightest weight possible.  Once you’ve got the form down, choose a weight that seems reasonable to you.  DON’T LOOK AT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE LIFTING, just be conservative.  

Let’s say you’re going to be lifting the weight for 10 reps--that’s a good number, if you’re not sure.  If you can lift that weight 10 times like it’s nothing: rest, add 10 to 20% to the weight, and try 10 more reps.  If you lifted it pretty well for 10 times, but it wasn’t a total cakewalk: rest, add 5 to 10% to the weight, and try 10 more reps.  If you got to 10 reps just barely, or could only do 8 or 9 reps, the weight you’ve got is probably a good one to use for future workouts.  Write that number down!  If you only made it to 4 or 5 reps: rest, decrease the weight by 10 to 20% or more, and try again.

Keep in mind that form matters here.  Lots of exercises can be done with much more weight if you do them with terrible form.  Don’t go there.

Keep repeating this process until you find your working weight for that exercise.  Then repeat the process for other exercises.  This process might require your entire workout time; if so, that’s fine, you are working your muscles, after all.  If you’ve got plenty of time left over, try a set or two more of each exercise before you go home.

What's a 1RM?

You may hear or read stuff that includes the phrase “1-rep max” or just the abbreviation “1RM”.  Often, it will be something like “Use 80% of your 1RM for this exercise”.  Your 1-rep max is how much you can lift exactly once; the absolute maximum amount your body can move.  I strongly recommend you don’t actually test your 1-rep max on any exercise without a trainer’s assistance, because when you’re approaching the maximum amount of weight your body can handle, accidents and injuries can happen.

Instead, test your 3-rep, 5-rep, or 8-rep max and use a 1RM calculator (they’re all over the internet) to estimate your 1RM.  Different calculators will give slightly different results, but they’ll pretty much all be close enough.  This is the one I use: 1RM Calculator

Sorry I Couldn't Just Tell You the Answers!

When you start lifting, or start a new program, plan on your first workout(s) to be mostly experimenting to find the right weights. It might seem kind of loosy-goosy or inconvenient, but you might also start to enjoy this process. Certainly, there's no pressure to set any world records here!

Go get started!

The Friendly Lifter

Better Than Sit-Ups

Sit-ups suck. Sorry, they just do. I mean, I love to exercise, and even I hate them! Fortunately, I have another option for strengthening your abs, and you can do them at home, so no excuses!

Weighted Crunches

You're going to need a book or pillow or some other object. It's better for now if the object isn't very heavy, but we're going to call it a "weight" anyway. 

Lie flat on your back on the floor. Bend your knees and plant your feet flat on the floor. Hold the weight in both hands. Extend your arms so you're holding the weight nice and high above your chest. Now you're ready to get started.

Pretend you're shoving that weight straight up into the ceiling. As you do, your head and shoulders should come up off the floor. Now relax back down so you're in your starting position again. You've just done one repetition, or "rep". Notice that you're not trying to bring your chin closer to your knees like a sit-up, and you're not curling your upper body like a traditional crunch. In the video you can see the weight travels in a slightly curved path, but focus just on moving it up and down.

I want you to do as many reps in a row as you can. Try for 10 or 12 or 15. It's okay if you can't do 15, that's just a goal. (Did you do a zillion? Good for you! Stay tuned, I have a bigger challenge for you later on.) Once you can't do any more reps, relax for a bit. Set your weight down or hold it on top of your chest, whatever's comfortable. Catch your breath for about 60 seconds. You just did what's called a "set" of reps.

Do three sets, resting about a minute after each one. That's it. Now go for a walk or lift some weights or dance with your kids.

Why Are These Better?

Well, I'm not a personal trainer, I'm just a crazy guy who likes to do this stuff. But I've read a bit about weighted crunches and several different sources recommend them over sit-ups because they're easier on the spine and lower back muscles. And some have said they're better than traditional crunches because it's easier to get the form right and not accidentally screw up your back. I just know my body is much happier after I've done three sets of these.

I'm Ready for Something Harder. What Now?

There are several ways to add to the challenge. Pick any ONE of these each time you're ready for more:

1. Do more reps per set. For example, 3 sets of 20 repetitions.
2. Do more sets. Think you could do 5 sets of 15 reps? Go for it!
3. Hold a heavier weight. Try a sack of rice or a pair of dumbbells or your kid. Fun, right?
4. Exhale as forcefully as you can each time you do a rep. Imagine you're blowing that weight right up to the ceiling. If you watched the video, this is why I sound like a spouting whale. You'd be surprised how hard the exercise gets when you do this!
5. On each rep, hold your body in the "up" position briefly before lowering yourself back down. The longer you pause up there, the bigger the challenge.

Start out easy, but keep challenging yourself a little more each week. Don't try these some day, try them now!

Really, now!

-The Friendly Lifter

Mind Games 2: Trash Talk and More

 Welcome back!  Here are more mind games you can play to trick yourself into eating healthier!

Also, don't miss

Mind Games 1 (more on diet)

Mind Games 3 (exercising) 

Mind Games 4 (motivation)

Accentuate the Negative

Every time you eat something you shouldn’t and you have any kind of negative feeling, cling to that memory and recall it any time you’re confronted with that food in the future.  Ate a bunch of candy and didn’t really enjoy it?  Remember that.  Ate a large order of french fries and they sat in your stomach like lead?  Remember that!  Ate a muffin instead of a healthier breakfast and you were already hungry by 9:30 a.m.?  REMEMBER THAT!

Stop repeating history.  And whenever possible, have a healthier alternative food nearby that you can turn to when you have to fight temptation.  I keep a stack of protein bars (don't buy ones with lots of sugar) or a jar of peanut butter in my desk drawer at work.  (Yes, peanut butter!  A spoonful of straight up peanut butter can be very satisfying.  It even helps my sweet tooth, believe it or not.)  Protein bars and peanut butter can also make you fat if you eat them like a maniac, but they make good alternatives if eaten in reasonable portions.

Trash Talk

This is going to sound crazy.  But it totally works for me and I’ve heard from other people who also said it worked for them.  Trash-talk the junk food.  Not like, literally say rude things out loud, but inside your head, pretend that the junk food wants you to eat it.  Tell it you don’t need it.  Laugh in its face.  Call it stupid names.  Let your inner diva loose.  Walk right by and flip it off.  Treat it like you wish you could treat your boss or your ex.  Exercise all the cruelty in your soul.

For example: “Psssh, donut?  No, I don’t think so.  The last time I ate a donut I was sleepy for the rest of the day, and I didn’t even LIKE it that much.  Damn thing was stale!  You can just stay in that box and beg for someone else to eat you, because there’s no way I’m touching you.  Yeah, that’s right, cry, stupid donut, because you’re pathetic.”

You might be surprised just how emotionally satisfying this can be.  Plus, by the time you’ve gotten through your sassy little speech, you’ve hopefully stalled through the moment of danger and you can think more rationally about why you don’t need that food.

Don’t Trash Talk Yourself, Though

Well...some people actually tell me this works for them, hating themselves every time they fall off the wagon and calling themselves “Fatty” every time they look in the mirror.  But I think most people are more likely to give up altogether once they start with the negative self-talk.  It’s just too easy to go from “I’m bad because I failed” to “I’m bad, so why bother?”.  Don’t go there.

Don’t wallow in guilt if you cheat and eat something you know you shouldn’t, but do resolve to get back on the horse.  Sugar tends to be addictive, so your body will crave it after you’ve had some.  Be prepared for that: keep the healthy alternatives in easy reach and redouble your efforts to take the emotional feelings out of your food choices.  If you can, throw away the tempting foods while you’re still determined.

See Yourself as a Healthy Eater

Don’t try to eat healthy.  Be a Healthy Eater.   Be the kind of person who is okay with a banana for dessert.  Be the kind of person who preps their lunches in advance, so you don’t have to worry about what you’re eating.  Be the kind of person who makes special requests at the restaurant.  You might think it’s impossible, but you’re trying to change yourself physically, and that’s going to take at least a little bit of mental change too.

Think you’ve been an unhealthy eater for too long to change how you see yourself?  Screw that, you don’t have to be chained to who you used to be.

Think other people will scoff at your turnaround?  Yep, probably.  Screw them, they don’t own you.  If they sneer, remember that’s usually the sign of a person who knows they should be doing better themselves, and their guilt causes them to take pot shots.

Think last night’s binge means you lose your Healthy Eater credential?  Screw that!  Don’t wallow, don’t send yourself hate mail, just resolve to settle for a small treat next time, and go grill some chicken breasts.

But...the Food at the Office...

Yes, I know it's free.  If that fact hypnotizes you into picking up something you shouldn't eat, wake up before it goes in your mouth, sneak over to the trash can, and throw it away.  Just because it's free doesn't mean you have to eat it.

Surprise Yourself

You might be surprised that you can make this work, but I won’t be.  I know you can do this nutrition thing.  It might take work, but you’re worth the effort.  Now go out there and talk yourself into being a Healthy Eater!

Best wishes,
The Friendly Lifter


P.S. - If you have a Costco store in your area, I'd like to recommend their Kirkland (store brand) protein bars.  They are pretty yummy and have a much better protein-to-sugar ratio than any other bar I've found.  Costco also has great deals on protein powder--I swear, my savings on protein powder alone pay for my annual membership.

Mind Games 1: Food, Glorious Food

No, Seriously, It Worked for Me!

Okay, I know some percentage of you all are going to read a few sentences here and instantly reject it as utter, ridiculous nonsense.  Others will say, “That’s all very well, but it would never work for me.”  And I’ve come to terms with that, but my response is: Just try it.  Literally no one else has to know what you’re doing, so there’s no risk if it doesn’t work.

What I’m talking about is, playing mind games with yourself.  When I started to eat more healthily and visit the gym on a daily basis, one thing that helped immensely was engaging in the many varieties of mental gymnastics you will see below and in the next few posts.  Yes, of course I knew I was doing it, as I was doing it.  I just shoved that particular awareness aside and did it anyway.  And maybe these tricks worked because I am more imaginative (or unstable!) than other people.  But really, I’d love for you to take at least one of these ideas and adapt it for your own purposes.  There’s literally no risk, so just try it!

Stall Through the Moment of Danger

Often, when I want a food I shouldn’t eat, it’s because I just saw that food and had an instantaneous, impulsive reaction to reach out, pick it up, and gobble it down.  If you can resist temptation for just a little bit of time, you will likely reach a moment when you can think more rationally about what you’re doing.  Stall for time.

Before you touch the food, build in your mind a quick sketch of what is in it.  Is there likely to be a lot of sugar?  Fat?  Sodium?  Would it have more protein, or more carbs?  How much do you want to bet that it has scary-sounding preservatives in it?  Now (if they're available) look at the Nutrition Facts and see if your guesses were correct.  Look at the ingredients list.  Do you recognize ANYTHING in there?  Think about it as unemotionally as possible, because it’s emotions that are making you want that food.

If you’re still tempted, tell yourself that MAYBE you can have SOME of the food, but you have to wait 60 seconds.  Literally count the seconds in your head.  Or tell yourself you can have just a couple bites, but only after you do some other task.  Hopefully, you can stall long enough that you are making a more rational choice about whether to eat the food or not, and if so, how much.  Remember, eating only a couple bites of something bad instead of the whole thing is a better choice, though no bites at all is even better.

Beware of Tag-Alongs

I’m not talking about the peanut butter Girl Scout cookies (though you should beware of those too).  I’m talking about side dishes that you don’t need or want.  I may be about to rock your world here, but...burgers don’t actually HAVE to have fries on the side.  Sandwiches can be consumed without chips.  Ribs can be enjoyed without potato salad.  I discovered something about myself when I had this epiphany: I kinda don’t like french fries.  It had been so deeply ingrained in my mind that you have to have fries with your burger that I spent much of my life eating fries I didn’t even enjoy.

Do you absolutely have to have chips with your lunch, or are you eating them because you always have chips with your lunch?  Do you really want the beans at your company barbecue, or are you putting them on your plate because that’s what you do at a barbecue?  If you feel like you have to take them so you don't offend your boss who is irrationally proud of his baked bean recipe, put a little on your plate, say hi to the boss so he sees the beans, then take great pride that you're secretly going to throw them away.

Think really hard about the side dishes you eat, and don’t feel obligated to eat something you only kinda want.

Remove the Moments of Weakness

The human brain gets much more emotional and impulsive when it’s hungry.  There are two ways you can try to combat this unfortunate fact of psychology: don’t get hungry*, and make choices in advance.

Eat frequent meals.  If you have a good breakfast and a healthy snack at mid-morning and another in the afternoon, you will be less likely to desperately crave junk food for lunch and dinner.  Yes, they’re calories, but they’re good calories and they’re worth consuming.  Don’t let yourself get to the point where you’re staring into the fridge, ready to shove any old thing that doesn’t move into your mouth.  Not that I’VE ever done that, of course.

If you often eat lunch at a restaurant, find a healthy but enjoyable meal that can be your “usual”.  Then, when it’s time to order, always order that meal.  It will become habit, and soon you will be ordering that meal before you’ve even had a chance to think whether you want the grilled bacon-cheese-and-donut sandwich.  The employees may even start to remember your order, which is even better.

If you eat a lunch from home or eat at home every day, prep your meals on Sunday night and stack them in the fridge, ready to grab and go.  I grill chicken breasts and roast vegetables, then portion them into five reusable containers.  This meal is delicious warm or cold.

*There is a case to be made for fasting as a weight loss tool.  I would especially encourage you to look into "intermittent fasting" which involves not eating for a specific period of time, which is not the same thing as starving yourself.  It's not something I've ever tried, but I've read lots of evidence in its favor.

Mental Changes Lead to Physical Changes

You can change how you think about food, but you have to let it happen, and it takes effort.  You'll have to allow that change to happen, though.  Don't just decide you can't do it!  I'll have some more mind games for you to try in my next post, so stay tuned!

Best wishes,
The Friendly Lifter 

Also don't miss...

Mind Games 3 (exercise) 

Mind Games 4 (motivation) 

Body by Chemo

I Promise This One's About Fitness

If you read my last post, you know I spent the last 8 months on heavy duty chemo. If you've read my earlier posts, you know that I've been on a long journey that started at 5 foot, 9 inches and 300 pounds. When I put up this blog last year (that's October of 2019) I had gotten down to 198 pounds and less than 20% body fat.

It's Not a Dad Bod, It's a Hospital Bod

The whole fitness thing hasn't been fantastic since my cancer diagnosis. Multiple doses of major steroids (no, not THAT kind of steroids) and 14 rounds of chemo (which translates to no gym) helped me gain back about 35 pounds of fat. But there were a couple other twists in the road, too.

While I was in the hospital getting my first round of chemo, a mysterious virus in my system took advantage of my suddenly impaired immune system to explode all over my lungs. I had fallen asleep, but woke up to find four nurses holding me down as I thrashed around with a high fever and what they called "rigor". It took almost a month in the hospital to recover from that, during which I also picked up a couple of blood clots in my legs because, you know, I'm a bargain hunter. Why go to the hospital and only have one thing wrong with you?

Anyway, I spent most of my time lying perfectly still, and got thoroughly de-conditioned. In about four months I had gone from being able to lift a 515-pound barbell off the floor to not even being able to sit up in bed. I went home with a wheelchair, a walker, and four tanks of oxygen. I'm thrilled to say my breathing recovered remarkably quickly, as did my ability to walk. Which was good, because I still had at least a dozen rounds of chemo to go.

Here's Where We Talk Fitness

I really believe the fact that I had a strong body before this all started made a huge difference in my ability to recover. I also believe that my robust health before the cancer hit is going to make a big difference in my odds of achieving and staying in remission. There are never any guarantees, but it ain't gonna hurt my chances.

Today's Fitness Point #1: If someone you know is still waiting for the perfect moment to get started on a journey to fitness, they need to start now. Really, now. I've got a bunch of posts here on the blog that suggest ideas for making the journey less difficult--maybe even pleasant! Go! Go! Go!

After reading all the crap that's been going on with my health, especially regaining fat and losing strength, you might think I would be discouraged to the point of giving up. If you had asked me a year ago, I would have predicted that I would give up. Actually, the opposite has happened.

I deeply resented that feeling of helplessness when I couldn't even sit up without help. Something of value had been taken away, and I was pissed. So every time I checked back in to the hospital for more chemo, I made a point of going for a walk once or twice each day. I got my butt out of bed, grabbed that I.V. pole, and steered it up and down the hallway between my room and the elevator. 10 laps every time. And the staff, nurses, and doctors in the unit started to recognize me and often chatted with me.

Also, as I started to get used to the rhythm of my chemo cycles and my depression meds started to help me be more myself, I began to get the urge to exercise. I had missed that feeling of empowerment that comes with a good workout. I asked for some resistance bands for Father's Day and tried some basic exercises. I got tired way too quickly, but it felt good anyway. I've gradually worked my way up to something that looks like a real workout. And I value those workouts a million times more now that I've fought to get them back.

Today's Fitness Point #2: Setbacks happen. But whether you believe it or not, you—yes, you—have the patience and grit to turn a setback into a comeback. It will absolutely take longer than you want it to, but so long as you're willing to start with baby steps, you will get there. So take those baby steps as soon as you possibly can.

Whether you're just starting or starting over, you can do it! YES, YOU!!! Get started!

Thanks for reading,

The Friendly Lifter

My 2020 Is More 2020 Than Your 2020

Whew, what a year 2020 has been, huh? COVID, politics, social distancing, half of Australia burning down, face masks, shortages, aaaauuugh! Still, the competitive side of me wants to say that I've probably had a worse year than you. I got cancer. It's a relapse of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

So this post is a bit of a side trip from my usual fitness topics. Feel free to skip this one; you won't hurt my feelings, I promise. But if you know someone who's going through a medical crisis, especially cancer, I'm hoping this post will help give them a little boost. Please share.

Crappy Holidays

Less than a week before Thanksgiving last year, I went to my doctor about bad headaches I'd been having. I thought they were migraines, but she advised me to get a CT scan. I didn't want to, but my wife practically dragged my by the ear to the emergency room. Thank God she did, because they found a mass that turned out to be a relapse of the lymphoma I'd had 7 years before. Only this time, instead of being in my armpits and groin, the cancer had decided to grow in my brain. It's called Lymphoma of the Central Nervous System, or CNS Lymphoma.

LESSON #1: If your loved one thinks you need medical attention, listen to them. It might be nothing, or they might save your life.

A couple weeks later my oncologist gave me the diagnosis, and a colossal bombshell. He assured me that there were no treatments for this kind of cancer in the brain, because the human body is really good at keeping chemicals like chemotherapy out of the brain. Any treatments I got would have brutal side effects and would only give me a couple extra months of life. I had maybe 6 months, and those would be months of misery. Without saying so directly, his message was crystal clear: I might as well just go straight to hospice.

My life was suddenly filled with last-times and never-agains. I'd never get to lift weights again. This might be the last time I'd ever eat pizza. I'd never see that friend again. I'd never get to retire to Washington, like my wife and I had dreamed. My last Christmas...but why bother with Christmas gifts? They would just be more crap my wife would have to deal with when I was dead.

My wife and in-laws and parents urged me to get a second opinion. With money from our savings plus money scrounged up from loved ones, I paid out-of-pocket to see an oncologist at a well-known cancer hospital. He assured me that yes, of course there were treatments that could get through to the brain. He laid out the typical course of treatment for someone with my condition. The odds weren't great. But they weren't zero. Hospice was not necessary at this time.

I didn't end up getting treated by that particular doctor because he wasn't in my insurance network, but the hope he gave me was well worth the expense. 

LESSON #2: Always get a second opinion. Always.

The Bad and the Not-So-Bad

That January I started on a total of 14 rounds of chemotherapy. Because they were putting me on heavy-duty chemo, I had to check in to the hospital for four or five days for each treatment, and I'd get to spend a little more than a week at home before checking back in again. I'm just going to give you a quick summary of those months in and out of the hospital. Nausea? Almost none. Fatigue? Lots, but each day home from the hospital was usually better. Other physical symptoms? Pretty much none. Depression? Lots at first, but medication helped a lot, and I am incredibly fortunate that I have lots of friends and family in my corner.

Every person is different, and their body doesn't respond to chemo exactly the same way as anyone else's. Also, year by year, doctors are getting better at managing side effects like pain and nausea. I can't promise you a rose garden, but take heart that you might get lucky.

LESSON #3: If you're about to start chemo, don't panic. Your experience isn't going to be fun, but it might not be as bad as you've heard, especially if you've heard stories from years ago.

Truthfully, the hardest part of chemo for me was the red tape. Every single appointment, every single treatment, every single hospital visit had to be approved through this complex, secretive, cryptic process of insurance authorization that had to be passed, like, 6 times from one office to another. Every person at every step was genuinely a good person who really wanted to help, but one forgetful moment, one misplaced piece of paper, one typo, would bring everything to a screeching halt.

The doctors, nurses, and hospital staff are true superheroes as far as I'm concerned, but there's one more person who deserves some space on that pedestal: my insurance case manager. She is a miracle worker, and many times my savior. My oncologist and several other people urged me to get one, which I did by requesting that my primary care physician refer me for one. She has been a miracle. She keeps her eye on things, and if she hasn't heard from the appropriate person in the appropriate amount of time, she knows who to call and what to say. I still have to be constantly on the alert, but as long as I keep in frequent contact with her, she makes sure $#!? gets done.

LESSON #4: In a medical crisis, you need advocates. Recruit family and friends, but also request a case manager or patient advocate or whatever your insurance company calls them.

Where Things Stand Now

My last MRI scan was negative. They can't find the tumor anymore. Hallelujah! That was incredibly good news, because there are no guarantees with cancer treatment. The thing is, my cancer is well known for hiding itself in the bone marrow, then jumping out later to start the whole tumor thing all over again. To improve my chances of the cancer not coming back, I will need to get a stem cell transplant (a.k.a. bone marrow transplant).

I just met with my transplant doctor. There's no surgery, just some mega chemo and a long recovery process while I re-grow my immune system. The doctor told me I'm likely to have more side effects and the recovery process is likely to be months. But she also told me the chances of long-term remission for someone in my specific situation are better than even. Those odds are better than I'd originally been told. I'll take it.

LESSON #5: Think carefully about asking your doctor or the internet to tell you the odds for survival. Those statistics probably include people who were already in very poor health and people older than you, even if you're pretty...uh... mature. You are not the statistics, you are you.

Thanks for Reading

Next post, it's back to fitness stuff. But I'll write again later about what it's like to get a bone marrow/stem cell transplant, in case anyone in your life is facing one.

Go hug someone.

The Friendly Lifter

Bigger Arms!

If you lift weights to make your muscles grow, then you probably want nice, big arm muscles.  After all, when someone wants to show off their muscles, what do they do?  Flex their arms!  I see a lot of questions on the internet from folks who struggle to get their arms to grow, so I’d like to take this moment to share some of the advice I’ve picked up over the years.

Work Them More Often

The classic advice for lifters used to be to work each muscle group only once per week.  But quite a lot of recent research has shown that working a muscle group more often is the best possible way to get it to grow more, as long as you give it a day of rest before you work it again.  Try programming 28 to 32 sets PER WEEK for each muscle group that needs some extra stimulation, and spread those sets across two or three workouts.  Just remember to give each muscle group a day off before you work it again.

"Tri"-ing to Grow

Your upper arm is home to the triceps muscle--the one at the back of your arm that runs from your armpit to your elbow bone--and the biceps muscle--the one opposite your triceps that is probably the most famous bodybuilder muscle.  You absolutely want to grow your biceps muscle, but don't neglect the triceps!  It accounts for two-thirds of your arm's total volume, so if you want big arms, make sure you give both muscles a good workout.  I've even heard advice that you should do twice as many reps for your triceps as you do for your biceps each week.  I'm not sure you have to go that far, but if your triceps need some extra help, give them a few extra sets per week.

Don't Lift With Your Ego

Make sure you're using excellent form, especially on barbell bicep curls.  The most common example of "ego" lifting I've been seeing at my gym lately is guys (mostly guys) who pick a weight that's too heavy for them, then they use their whole body to kind of "throw" the weight upward.  If your legs are bending and straightening a lot or your upper body is tilting back and forth as you do your reps, that's a sign that you're not really stimulating your arm muscles the way you need to.  Instead, try to keep the rest of your body still.

When you do bicep curls, start each rep by straightening your arm and flexing your triceps--this will help ensure there's no momentum assisting you as you lift.  During the rep, only your forearms should move through 90% of the rep, then at the very top of the rep you can raise the angle of your upper arms slightly.  That's because your biceps are responsible for bending the elbow and, to a lesser extent, raising the angle of your upper arm.  If you do everything correctly, you may discover you need to use a lighter bar.

Finally, control the weight as it goes back down to its starting position.  If you are letting it flop down, that's also a sign that you're holding too much weight.

Feel That Pump

If you've ever heard lifters talk about "the pump" and didn't know what they meant, it's time to fill you in.  When you exercise a muscle, it needs extra fuel to do its job.  Your body feeds extra blood to the muscle, which literally causes it to "inflate" a little bit.  Ever seen some big, muscley guy flexing in front of the mirror at the end of his workout?  That's why--his muscles are actually bigger than when he started his workout!  Sadly, the pump won't last forever.  5 to 15 minutes after you finish using a muscle, the blood starts to flow back to the rest of your body and the pump fades.

Your muscles have these connective tissues called fascia surrounding them, and the fascia can physically limit how much your muscles can grow.  By getting a nice, big pump in your muscles, those fascia weaken their grip on your muscles, which makes it possible for your muscles to grow.  So although getting a big pump is lots of fun for flexing in the mirror, it's also important for long-term muscle growth.

When you do your arm exercises, try to feel that pump as much as possible.  At the top of each rep, pause for a second or two and squeeze the muscle as hard as you can.  Don't forget that the "top" of a rep may feel like the bottom, if the direction of movement is downward like with triceps pushdowns.  If you're having trouble getting a good pump, try doing at least one exercise with lots of reps (15 to 20 per set).

Feel That S-T-R-E-T-C-H

Stretching your muscles under tension can also help break down the fascia and get that pump going.  At the bottom of the rep, before you start lifting your next rep, try to feel a good stretch.  This stimulates your muscles for growth as well.  Some exercises lend themselves to this better than others.  For biceps, I like preacher curls with or without an e-z curl bar, and vertical preacher curls (where you face the "wrong" way on the bench) with dumbbells.  For triceps, I get a good stretch from overhead dumbbell triceps extensions and overhead cable rope "pushdowns".

Slow and Steady Wins the Arms Race

As you lower the weight in the "eccentric" or "negative" phase of each rep, do it s-l-o-w-l-y.  Like, count 5 to 10 seconds as you lower the weight.  You could do that on every arm exercise, but if you get too exhausted, choose one or a few exercises to use this technique on.

My Apologies to Your Arms

Your arms are gonna be tired!  But that's the way you make them grow!

Best wishes,
The Friendly Lifter

Protein Powder

Should I Use Protein Powder?  What Is It For, Anyway?

Protein powder is a convenient way to consume large amounts of protein.  Most lean proteins (i.e., meat and eggs) have to be refrigerated, and that can make them inconvenient or impossible, especially in certain workplaces.  Protein powder is shelf-stable, meaning you don’t need to refrigerate it (you should probably keep prepared shakes refrigerated if you don’t plan to drink them within a couple of hours).  Sipping a protein shake can also be a great way to get those grams down your throat, without feeling like you’re choking on your 27th chicken breast of the day.

I have been chewed out by “real food” maniacs about how protein powder is the root of all evil.  I know it’s probably somewhat more beneficial to get your protein from eggs that you cracked yourself and meat that you hunted and killed with your bare hands.  Yes, obviously, protein powder is processed. But so are almond milk, canned soup, and ice cream. If you’re going to crusade against protein powder, then you should be just as angry about graham crackers and deli meat.  They’re all processed. I respect people’s right to advocate for more natural foods. But let’s also allow people to make their own decisions, thank you very much.

Is Protein Powder a Food, Or a Supplement?

We can argue all day about technicalities and word definitions, but as far as your digestive system is concerned, protein shakes are food.  That means you need to count those grams in your food diary. Drinking a shake and eating a moderate handful of nuts could be a really good snack in the afternoon, or a quick way to get your first meal in when it’s too early to be thinking about cooking.

Be sure to check out the nutrition facts on the powder you’re buying.  Some powders have significantly more carbs than others, and some even add sugar.  I suggest you look for a protein powder (not a “mass gainer”) that has as few carbs and fat as possible per serving.  My favorite is CytoSport’s 100% Whey; Optimum Nutrition makes a good product also called 100% Whey.

If you’re looking for a bargain, Costco has the best prices.  I swear, my protein powder savings alone more than pay for my annual membership fee.

How Much Should I Use?

Figure out how much protein you still need to cram into your diet today; that’s how much you should use.  For example, if you see that you’re probably going to miss your protein goal by 30 grams, and your powder has 24 grams per scoop, make a shake with a scoop plus a little extra.

So...use protein powder/protein shakes for convenience, or when you need to balance your macronutrients and don’t have enough protein.

Hope that helps!

The Friendly Lifter

Rest and Recovery Are Essential

Getting fit is a long process, and we all get frustrated from time to time; even the really experienced folks do.  At some point, you might find yourself just wanting to quit.  If you're feeling constantly exhausted, yawning through the day, dreading your workout, or even getting depressed, please don't give up!  Rest and recharge instead.

Working Out Properly Causes Wear and Tear

Working out is healthy, but can also wear your body down.  The process of lifting weights is especially hard on the body.  Whenever you lift hard enough to really challenge yourself, your muscles sustain microscopic cellular damage called "microtears".  They're so tiny they're not considered injuries and you won't even be aware of them, but they're still important.  Your body heals those microtears, and in the process strengthens the muscle and makes it grow.  Without the damage, your body wouldn't have any reason to build itself up, so those microscopic tears are necessary.

But healing and building new muscle also takes energy, and if you're challenging yourself, then at some point you'll probably pick up one or two minor injuries in your muscles, joints, or connective tissues.  A little soreness in the shoulder, a little tenderness in the knee, whatever.  Even cardio-based workout programs will cause wear and tear that needs to heal, but with lifting, rest is especially important to consider.  That's why experts recommend that you plan on taking time off from working out periodically.  For weight trainers, many experts suggest you take an entire week off for every six to twelve weeks of training.

De-Loading

You could literally take the week off, staying away from the weights entirely.  Lots of folks do that.  Or, if staying away from the gym entirely would drive you as crazy as it would me, you could do what's called a "de-load" week.  That means doing very light workouts, usually with fewer sets, lighter weights, and more reps per set.  You could add in some light cardio.  

This period of recovery is so important, some workout programs even include a plan for time off every "X" weeks.  Other people prefer to decide when to take time off based on how their body feels.  Sometimes, life kinda steps in and forces you to take time off because you're traveling or you get the flu or everything at work explodes.

...But I'll Lose All My Gainz!

Don't worry.  Science tells us that, if you're eating a healthy diet, you won't start losing strength or muscle mass in only 7 days.  Some studies have found people can go two weeks or more without noticing any drop in performance when they come back to the weights.  In fact, it's very, very common for lifters to report that when they return to working out after a week off, their performance enjoys a significant boost.  Their strength and size gains are much better after having taken some time off.  Seriously, time off won't hurt your gainz, it'll help them in the long run!

After Your Time Off

So you took a week off or de-loaded for a week, and now you're gearing up to get back to lifting.  How you feel at that moment is kind of a fascinating study in human psychology.  Some folks get back to the gym feeling a massive energy boost, like a team of wild horses couldn't hold them back.  Others worry that they've forgotten everything they ever learned about working out, and are nervous as a result.  Whatever you're feeling as you walk out onto the gym floor, you should know you're not alone.  Just get out there and lift.  Do your reps and don't over-think that week off that you took.  You're gonna do great work, so just do it.

Take care of yourself!  Rest, recover, and get back to work!
The Friendly Lifter

Supplements

There is a lot of misinformation swirling around the topic of supplements, particularly those intended to boost your workout performance.  Here are my honest impressions.

"But I Don’t Believe in Steroids!"

I am going to type this as slowly and as loudly as I can: SUPPLEMENTS ARE NOT STEROIDS!!!  Steroids are illegal in the U.S., plus a bunch of other countries.  If you can find it on a shelf in a store at the mall and plunk it down at the cash register and walk out with it in a bag, it is not steroids.  Period.

What Supplements Should I Take?  Are Supplements Even Worth It?

I am going to give you my personal opinions here--I’m not a personal trainer or professional nutritionist--but I think they’re pretty sound.  Here are the supplements I think will help you do better in the gym:

• a multivitamin - Take your pick.
• vitamins and minerals - Vitamins C and D, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and zinc are all helpful in recovering from workouts or strengthening muscle and bone.  If you’re not getting enough from food, take a supplement.  Note that your multivitamin may not contain some of these, so read the label.
• caffeine - There is a decent amount of evidence that suggests caffeine does help you perform better in the gym.  You could take an expensive pre-workout supplement; nearly all of the ones on the market have hefty doses of caffeine and in my opinion, that’s about all they have that’s going to do you any good.  So my advice is, just drink some coffee.
• creatine monohydrate - Unlike most supplements you will find at the supplement store, creatine’s benefits have been well-documented for decades.  It helps your muscles recover more quickly from high-intensity activities like lifting a heavy weight.  This means that you may find your second and third sets of an exercise go just a bit better with the help of creatine.  It also helps develop muscle size and strength over time.  You don’t need a super fancy form of creatine, so shop around for a powder that is cheap.
• BCAA’s - Short for “branch-chained amino acids”, which are the building blocks of proteins, and from there, of muscles.  I don’t currently take these, but I have.  I changed my mind because I realized I was already getting complete proteins from my protein powder, and there’s a decent amount of disagreement among experts about whether BCAA’s are actually needed for folks who get plenty of protein intake.

That’s it.  Based on my research, almost all of those shelves and shelves of bottles you see in the supplement store are either snake oil, or are marginally helpful but not worth the expense and side effects.  And you shouldn’t feel like caffeine, creatine, or BCAA’s are going to make or break your workouts.  If you don’t want to use them, don’t.

Are Supplements Safe?

If you live in the U.S. you need to know that supplements, from the chewable vitamin C tablet you gave your toddler this morning to the “testosterone booster” in the dodgy-looking packaging, are not regulated.  There’s no government agency checking to see if those supplements are what they claim to be.  Let the buyer beware.  I go ahead and take the supplements I mentioned above, but if all this makes you nervous, skip them.  If you’re eating a healthy diet, none of them is essential.

Did I Hurt Your Feelings? 

I wasn't trying to.  If I didn't mention your favorite supplement, I'm not saying it's definitely worthless, only that I haven't found any evidence to support its value.  Keep taking it if you want to.

Remember, supplements are there to help your workout, but you've still got to work out!

Best wishes,

The Friendly Lifter