￭ Bonus – How To Get Jacked
General Principles
1) Get Stronger on key lifts: Every time you go to the gym your goal is to focus on getting stronger on key lifts. This is things like bench press, pull ups, squats, shoulder press. If you progressively increase the amount of weight you can lift on each one of these exercises for at least 6 reps while keeping good form you will put on muscle (assuming adequate calorie/protein intake, and rest). The stronger you get, the more muscle you will put on If you are unsure about your form. I recommend either Youtubing videos of each exercise or taking a few sessions with a knowledgeable personal trainer.
- Bench – This is a huge one. I recommend alternating between incline & flat bench. However, if there is one that feels a lot better, just stick to it. The key is being able to bench more & more weight. If you can bench 225lb 6-10 times, your chest is going to look pretty good (assuming you keep a low body fat). End of story. In terms of aesthetics, focus more on incline bench to develop more of your upper chest and avoid to having boob like pecs.
- Pull ups – If you can’t do a pull up, don’t worry you are not alone. Vast majority of people can’t even do one pull up. Start with the pull down machine and up the weight until it is equal to your body weight. Voila, now you should be able to do a few pull ups. The goal is to be able to do weighted pull ups and for many this will require a lot of dedication. If you can do 10 weighted pull ups with 50+ lb attached to your waist then your back is also going to look pretty good (assuming you have low body fat).
- Squats – Pay extra attention to form and stay away from the Smith Machine. Instead, find a gym with a good squat rack and do bar squats. I personally alternate between the leg press machine and bar squats on different days. It is a slightly different way to work a lot of the same muscles. If you are struggling with even doing a squat, start off with just the bar, or even without a bar until your legs get stronger. If you can squat 300lb 6-10 times, then your legs are going to look pretty good (assuming you keep a low body fat).
- Shoulder Press/ Lateral raises – Key exercises for building your shoulders. Barbell or free weights, sitting or standing also all mainly personal preference. Do what feels best with your body. Again your goal is to simply be able to lift more weight. If you can shoulder press over 150 lbs total 6-10 times, then your shoulders are going to look pretty good (assuming you keep a low body fat). Lateral raises are especially important for adding side bulk to your shoulders which enhances your waist to shoulder ratio (a scientific sign of attractiveness)
- Other exercises – There’s a bunch of other lifts I do: bicep curls, ab twists, bent-over rows, shoulder lifts, push ups, etc. The big theme is that they are mostly exercises that work a lot of muscle groups. Focus on big compound movements.
2) Track Your Lifts – That’s right! Keep a journal or use an app on your phone of what weight you lifted for how many times on each exercise. This will keep you accountable and after a month be a source of motivation. This may sound tedious, but it shouldn’t take you more than a minute after your workout to quickly write this down. I even take it one step further and write what I hope to lift my next workout and also what I hope to be lifting a month from now.
3) Train Consistently – You want to go to the gym minimum 3 days a week. At three days a week you can get jacked. At two it’s going to be a lot harder. I personally do 3 days a week during maintenance periods (when I am more focused on other things) and 5 days a week when I am really trying to level up. I recommend taking at least one day off a week, preferably two to allow for recovery and reduce chance of injury.
4) Eat a Clean Paleo Style Diet – My exact diet recommendations will vary a bit based on your body type. However, they are all based on paleo principles. Avoiding grains, legumes, sugar, processed food, soy, preservatives, or any junk. Instead focusing on grass fed meat, wild caught fish, lots of healthy fats, seeds, nuts and plenty of veggies. This is the ground on which the building is built. A Paleo diet will keep your hormones working optimally (yes it will likely increase your testosterone too) allowing you to have more energy, lift more weight, recover quicker, and lose fat. Here is a very good guide..
5) Get Adequate Protein – Ectomorph or Endomorph you need to get adequate protein otherwise you will not only fail to gain muscle, but likely lose some. A safe amount is a gram per pound of body weight. If you weigh 150 lbs, eat 150 grams of protien a day and you will be good.
6) Get Adequate Sleep – The amount of rest each person needs is different. However, generally as you lift more, your body is going to need more time to recover. At a minimum, you should be sleeping seven hours. For me personally, I need 8-9.
7) Take Supplements. Unfortunately, most supplements are bullshit and promoted by guys who look the way they do by taking a shitload of steroids. However, there are some good ones as well that are well worth taking. Keep in mind though no amount of supplements are going to make up for a shitty diet or total lack of rest. These are the boosts, not the foundation:
- Creatine – Very widely recommended and scientifically proven to help you put on muscle. Take 5 grams every day, ideally before or after workouts. If it is your first time taking creatine then you can do a kick-start loading phase where you take 10 grams for a week, before returning to 5 grams. here is the one I buy.
- BCAA – Less popular than creatine, but also effective. Take the recommended dose before workouts. here is the one I buy.
- Grass Fed Whey – Great for putting on muscle. I personally stopped taking it due to a sensitive stomach, but a lot of people have zero problems with it. It is great for gaining mass. Take 40-50 grams right after workouts or even better 30 grams after workouts and 30 grams before bed. here is the one I recommend.
- Grass Fed Collagen – Instead of whey, I take collagen. It is not as effective for putting on mass, but doesn’t bother my stomach either. here is the one I buy.
- Krill Oil/Tumeric – I have a lot of joint problems & inflammation. This stuff helps keep my joints function better. here and here.
- MCT Oil – Great for putting yourself in fat burning mode. I am an ectomorph, so I could care less, but still use it every day just for its health benefits. The one I use is here.
- Caffeine Pills – These are great for suppressing your appetite and having more energy in the gym. Even though I am trying to gain weight I take 1-2 every morning as a pick me up to get more work done. The ones I take are here.
Ectomorph
These are the chronically skinny guys. The guys who have super high metabolisms and can never seem to gain any weight despite how much they eat. They typically have low body fat, but also very low amount of muscle mass. This is the category I fall in. All my life, it seemed that regardless of how much I eat and exercise, I was more or less skinny. However, I was just doing the wrong things (running, hot yoga, etc), instead of trying to lift heavy & heavier weights. Training: AVOID CARDIO. As an ectomorph, you cannot afford to spend energy on activities that don’t contribute to muscle growth. Your goal is to just be able to lift more and more weight every time you go to the gym. Once you get strong on key lifts the muscle will come. Generally stick to 6-10 reps on each exercise and do 3-4 sets. Diet: Aside from pushing yourself to lift more weights, it is crucial for you to push yourself to maintain a calorie surplus every day. That means a minimum of 3,000 calories. (I recommend you stick closer to 4,000). If you don’t get enough calories AND protein in you simply won’t grow. No way around it. For me often times this meant force feeding myself a little extra with every meal, despite not being hungry. Note: a great way to get extra calories is to put grass fed butter and MCT Oil on everything. Despite what some doctors say, grass fed butter is very healthy. For Ectomorphs I recommend is a variation of Paleo. That means you eat mainly grass fed meat, wild caught fish, vegetables, healthy fats and nuts/seeds. However, you also add some carbs. I recommend just sticking with sweet potatoes/yams, plantains, white/brown rice, and fruit. It is going to make a significant difference if you can get some of these carbs in immediately after your workout. Here is what my typical meals looks like: Breakfast: Wild caught smoked salmon with raw almonds and/or 3-4 Pastured eggs + coffee/tea with Grass Fed Butter, MCT OIL, and Grass Fed Collagen Pre- training: Creatine + BCAA Post Training: 40-50 grams of grass fed collagen and a Banana Lunch: Half a pound of Grass Fed Steak and Veggies w/ Grass Fed Butter and Sweet Potatoes Dinner: Half a pound of Pastured Chicken with Avocado and White Rice w/ Grass Fed Butter or Bone Broth Soup with Veggies and Grass fed Beef. Before Bed: 20 Grams of Grass fed Collagen Snacks: Strawberries, Kombucha, Raw Nuts, Dark Chocolate (with no Milk) Overview: As an ectomorph, you already likely have fairly low body fat. You need to focus on getting stronger at the gym on key lifts and eating more calories. This is the only way to put your body in an anabolic state (aside from steroids) and grow. Stick to the variation of the Paleo diet that I mentioned and take creatine, BCAA’s, and collagen/whey after workouts. Also, try to get some carbs (banana, sweet potatoes or rice) in right after you lift for an additional boost.
Endomorph
Essentially the opposite of an ectomorph. These are guys who easily gain weight and struggle with losing it no matter how much they diet. They will be larger in appearance, but also higher body fat accumulation. This means that even if they have a decent amount of muscle, it will not be visible. Training: As an endomorph you should also be focusing on getting stronger on key lifts. However, you should also incorporate some High Intensity Training (HIT) into your workouts. This means higher reps (10 minimum) and circuit training (going from one exercise to another with a very small break). You need to be hardcore sweating every time you leave the gym. Unlike an ectomorph, some cardio is actually going to be beneficial for you. I recommend swimming & hot yoga. Diet: Here is going to be a bit of a difference. As an endomorph your goal is to lose fat while maintaining muscle mass. That means you still want to stick to a clean Paleo diet, but keep it very low carb and low sugar (even fruit sugar) You want your body to be primarily in fat burning mode (ketosis) with adequate protein so it can maintain muscle. Carbs are to be eaten only after workouts (that’s when they mainly just go to your muscles). Exactly how many calories you need will depend on your weight, exactly how much muscle mass you have, and your body fat percentage. You also want to incorporate intermittent fasting into your diet to boost fat burning. I personally recommend having some coffee/tea with grass fed butter & MCT OIL during your fasting period as it will kick start ketosis, while keeping you from actually getting hungry. If I was an Endomorph here is what my meals would look like: “Breakfast”: Coffee/Tea with Grass Fed Butter and MCT OIL Pre- training: Creatine + BCAA Post Training: 40-50 grams of grass fed collagen and a Banana Lunch: 1/3lb of grass fed beef or wild caught fish w/ Nuts & Veggies and grass fed butter and MCT OIL Dinner: 1/3lb of Chicken Breast with pumpkin seeds, veggies, grass fed butter and MCT Oil Snacks: Fresh squeezed juices, Berries, Dark Chocolate (dairy free)
- Overall: Train Hard get stronger on key lifts but also do higher reps H.I.T Style. Incorporate a little cardio as well, like swimming or yoga. Start off every day with intermittent fasting, consuming only coffee with healthy fats to kick start ketosis. This should also keep you from getting hungry until lunch. Then for your other meals, stick to a very clean paleo diet. Over 50% of your calories should come from healthy fats (nuts, seeds, butter, mct oil, coconut, cacao) and most of the rest should be healthy proteins (grass fed beef, pastured eggs, and some wild caught fish)
*endomorphs need carbs as well for bulking as they won’t put a lot of muscle on and will be constantly carb depleted. They need to stick to low g.i. carbs and limit fruits. Maybe limit carbs at night*