MUSCLE GAIN TIPS

Here are a few handy tips for those looking to pack on functional muscle,

e.g. for preseason:



No matter what your metabolism is like and how difficult you have found it

in the past, If you are a man over the age of 18, e.g. with a suitable hormonal

profile, IT IS POSSIBLE for you to achieve an increase in muscle and lean body weight over a 2-3 month period. For a long time I also hid behind the excuse "I've got bad genes" or "My metabolism is too fast". The truth is that If this is/was your attitude, it is very likely that:

a) You are not eating anywhere near the amount of calories you need to take in

to gain weight. Write down what you eat during a typical busy working day.

Chances are you could double those calories.

b) You haven't been doing the right kind of training. You need box squats,

good mornings, deadlifts, chinups, bench presses, single leg training.

You will need a mixture of low reps (3-6) on your main lifts, and higher reps

(8-20) on your assistance exercises (rows, chins, dips, lunges, glute ham raises, etc.)

c) You haven't been lifting heavy enough or consistently enough to achieve

noticeable gains. Can you honestly say you've strung 10 or more weeks of

heavy focused training together while eating and sleeping enough?

d) You have said to yourself "I'd like to gain a little muscle", instead of deciding

that you are going to get bigger, stronger and faster every single week.

The word decide comes from the Latin word "decidere", meaning to cut off.

Cut yourself off from the possibility of not achieving your goals once you have

made up your mind. If you are to achieve your goals, you first of all need to

quantify them and set a goal in time, e.g. "I want to put on 3kg this month,

or 6kg in 3 months".

You also need to be able to measure your progress carefully and

keep a written log in the back of your hardback training journal.

I suggest:

Bodyweight in kgs upon waking before breakfast

Bodyfat testing and tape measures in cm every 2 weeks, e.g.

neck

shoulder

mid humerus (bicep)

forearm

chest at nipple height

waist at bellybutton

widest part waist

widest part around hips at glutes

mid femur (thigh)

mid calf

Lastly you need to enjoy yourself, lift a little lighter than you think you should

at the start, enjoy your training and enjoy all the great food you get to eat

while everyone else is cutting back and feeling guilty for having a fourth

helping of shepherds pie. Ha Ha...

Make it a part of your lifestyle, and you will get there.

I used this information in my own training this past year and went

from 69-81kgs over a period of about 6 months while putting 30kg on

my deadlift and enjoying every minute of my training and eating.

I learned these things from a friend of mine that has managed to go from

90-125kgs over 5 years, with a 300kg deadlift, while still being in better

health than 95% of the population.

The bottom line is, whether your goal is 2 or 20kgs, if you set your mind to

something, actively seek out take on board the right kind of advice,

and carry out your plans to the letter no matter what gets in your way,

you can achieve almost anything.

Your weight, your health, and your mental outlook are ultimately under

your own control, and only you can make it happen.

If anyone gets stuck on any part of your training or nutrition or need

more info, like how to gain weight on a tight budget, leave me a comment or an email.

Happy Christmas,

Eat, Train and Be Merry,

Barry

MEAL PLANNING & PREPARATION

Hi Lads,

Heres some tips on food planning and recipes, from a team talk this year.

The recipes can be tweaked for muscle gain or fat loss,

E.g. less pasta and more veg in pasta bake if fat loss is the goal, cut out the full fat cheese etc.

The goal is to have beautiful tasty meals that still meet your criteria for being healthy.

All these meals can be prepped in less than 15 mins,

Pasta bake or casserole can be left to cook on low heat while you go train,

Ready when you get home half frozen and starving.

Happy munching,

Barry

MOROCCAN MEATBALLS & COUS COUS

This is a really quick and easy meatball recipe for a cheap, low carb, high protein lunch or dinner that has plenty of good fats thrown in.

Something a bit different that you might not normally try.

Really tasty and ready from start to finish in 30 mins. Make plenty, put a portion in

the fridge and freeze one to save for a busy day when you couldn't be bothered cooking.

Ingredients:

400g lean minced beef

2 tins chopped tomatoes

4 cloves garlic

large onion optional

fresh parsley

tex mex or bbq powder

paprika

chilli powder

salt, pepper to season

100g bag of cous cous, any flavour or plain

olive oil or coconut oil for cooking

large saucepan

non-stick frying pan

Recipe:

The Sauce

Add oil to saucepan, add 2 chopped cloves garlic, 2 large tablespoons chopped parsley,

1 tablespoon tex mex powder or similar, 1 teaspoon chilli powder.

Mess around with these amounts of seasoning yourself, I like the sauce to have a bit of heat.

Add in 2 tins chopped tomatoes, bring to boil, cover and reduce to simmer for 15 mins,

stirring every once in a while.

The Meatballs

While the sauce is simmering, put the minced beef in a large plastic mixing bowl or lunchbox.

Add 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon chilli powder,

2 chopped cloves garlic.

Mix ingredients together with your hands.

Take chunks of the mixture in your hands and make meatballs around an inch in diameter.

400g minced beef should make about 15 meatballs.

Brown these meatballs in a few batches in a non-stick pan by frying on a high heat for 3-4 mins,

rolling them around to get them brown all over. They wont be fully cooked yet.

Add meatballs to sauce and let them sit in the sauce, no need to stir.

Let the whole thing simmer for another 10 mins to let it cook through.

Put you cous cous in a bowl and add boiling water as per instructions on packet.

Serve up and enjoy, have a green salad on the side if you want.

BARRYS BBQ CHICKEN PIZZA

Your typical frozen pizza tends to have a processed starchy cardboard-like base,

tends to be low in protein, high in saturated fat, high in salt,

And fairly low in actual nutrients, e.g. magnesium, iron, etc.

Heres a recipe for a treat meal, a bbq chicken & veg pizza thats low in carbs,

high in protein, and has about a weeks worth of fresh veg thrown in.

Really cheap, really quick to make, and tastes ten times better than the frozen crap.

Preparation time 10 mins, cooking time 15 mins. Serves 2-4 with a salad.

Ingredients:

2 corn/flour tortilla wraps (feel free to try a wholemeal one but can be more brittle)

2 chicken breasts

1 medium sized white/red onion

100-150g fresh spinach

3-4 button mushrooms

1/2 yellow/red pepper

3-4 tablespoons reggae reggae sauce / hot bbq sauce

red pesto

tomato puree / cheap pasta sauce

seasoning (paprika, pepper, coriander etc to taste)

olive/coconut oil for cooking

20-30g half fat cheese, grated

Directions:

Pre chop veg, lightly stirfry onion, spinach in olive/cocout oil for 2-3 minutes high heat.

Remove to the side in a bowl.

Stirfry diced chicken breast that has been marinated in reggae reggae sauce overnight,

in a plastic sandwich bag. (if not, just add while stir-frying).

Fill 1/3 cup tomato puree/pasta sauce, add 2 teaspoons red pesto, mix.

Spread mixture evenly over two tortillas.

Spread out cooked chicken pieces evenly over the two.

Same deal with cooked onion and spinach.

Slice mushrooms and pepper thinly, layer on top.

Season with a little pepper and coriander, paprika before putting in oven.

Sprinkle very light covering of grated half-fat cheese on top.

Cook 10-15 mins 200 degrees C.

Serve a crunchy salad on the side.

Enjoy

Prepare to be nagged into making it more often.

MAYFIELD OUTDOOR BOOTCAMP

Great outdoor bootcamp session in the pouring rain in mayfield,
Well done lads

NEW BLOG: CONFIDENT POSITIVE STRONG & FIT

Hi All,

The title of this blog is an affirmation that I heard an intercounty player using in training and in the dressing room in Croke Park two years ago before the All Ireland Football Final in 2008, and it has stuck with me and served me well ever since. This lad had suffered some nasty injuries and setbacks over a long career playing at a high level, like breaking bones in his hand just as this football season was getting underway. He turned up to my gym session one day with the hand in a cast, and instead of whining or complaining or feeling sorry for himself, he just explained that he would hop in and do what he could, and work away with a different variation when an exercise wasn't possible. The session included front squats, pushups, horizontal rows, one legged pistol squats etc. Most people would have stayed home, had a pizza, watched telly and felt sorry for himself. This guy still squatted more than most, did one arm pushups and one arm H Rows, and then retreated to a quiet corner and smashed his good fist into a heavy bag 30 seconds on 30 seconds off until well after every other player had left and the gym was empty.

I had never seen anything like it. That moment I knew that mentally, whatever "it" was, this guy had it. He had a mentality and an attitude that allowed him to see every injury and problem as an opportunity to bounce back stronger. We all come across low times in training and in our lives where the odds are stacked against us and it would be much easier to give up and let negative thoughts take over. We might not all train or compete at such a high level, and if you are reading this you might be asking "what has this got to do with me?" Your own obstacle might be that constant back pain, not making the starting 15, that dress that won't fit, that injury that won't go away, or not being able to find the time or motivation to go and get the body, health and confidence that you have always wanted.

This blog will have loads of useful posts and videos about fat loss, injury reduction, nutrition, and the common obstacles that we all run into when trying to get lean, fit, strong and healthy.

But if you take nothing else from here, take the title with you and say it to yourself every morning, in the shower after every hard training session, and every time you feel those negative thoughts creeping in.

This is what we are all aiming for, and hopefully through this blog I'll be able to help you get there and enjoy yourself along the way.

CONFIDENT POSITIVE STRONG AND FIT

Barry Vaughan BSc CSCS