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About, Other, Personal 3-minute read As you may know, I recently announced my upcoming book which should be complete by the start of next year. The purpose of this post is to give you an idea of what exactly the book is about and how it will be formatted. This book is a series of biographies that includes all of the experts that I've researched as well as all of the tips and tricks that I discovered while doing my research. The list of experts involved, a quick description of their backgrounds, and the amount of research done on each of them can be seen in my About Twelve Paths Page. All are involved in health and fitness in some fashion, whether they are nutritionists, physical therapists, or strength and conditioning coaches. Each biography is between 10-15 pages long, describing the following:
The purpose of the book is to take everything I've learned from these individuals over the past couple years of deep research and spell it all out to help you learn how you can improve your health and fitness and possibly find experts that you would like to follow as well. Below, I will share with you the current version of the "From the Author" introduction of the book... If you have any comments or questions, please comment below. I'd really appreciate any input you might have. I have all of the biographies written and am currently working on the final editing, formatting, etc.
If you have not already, please help me in deciding a title of my book by clicking this link. If you know others who would be interested in this book or blog, share the post on. You can also subscribe to my blog by going to my Contact Page and entering your email address. I do not spam subscribers but simply let them know when new posts are up or if there is big news related to the blog. Thank you for reading!
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Food/Nutrition 3-minute read IntroductionHow many times have you heard or said to yourself something along the lines of, “I don’t have the money to eat healthy.” This is such a common excuse and, to be honest, I’ve said it myself in the past. We assume that “eating healthy” means buying tons of fresh fruit and vegetables and needing to go to the grocery store multiple times per week in order to keep our salads fresh. The only time that this might be the case is if you are deciding to be 100% vegetarian, and even then, it is probably better to ease yourself into it until it is practical and simple to make the switch. I've learned it's much better to focus on the smaller habits you can do that add up. If you do that, you’ll find it truly is not any more costly and it can also be an easy and enjoyable change to make. In this post, I will share tips given by nutrition experts as well as small habit changes to make it easy for you to follow their advice. Tip #1 - WaterShawn Stevenson, nutritionist and general health expert, suggests drinking half your bodyweight each day in water, switching pounds for ounces. For example, if you weight 150lbs, he states that you should drink 75oz (about 9 glasses) of water each day. He says that there is no reason to exceed 100oz unless you have a heavy workout that day. This is similar to other respected health experts’ recommendations like Dr. Cate Shanahan and Ben Greenfield. Habits Involving WaterShawn suggests starting your day off with 20-30oz of water to both get a head start on this goal and to wash your body of toxins first thing in the morning. He then suggests keeping a water bottle with you throughout the day. These two habits paired together make drinking a healthy amount of water each day easily attainable.1 Tip #2 - Fruits & VegetablesAnother tip by Shawn Stevenson is to eat at least two servings of green leafy vegetables and one cup of berries each day. He warns not to overdo the berries because they are loaded with sugars and states that avocados are also a great option to add in at breakfast time. Dr. Steven Gundry, nutrition expert and former cardiologist, also suggests the same amount of daily green leafy vegetables. Habits Involving Fruits & VegetablesShawn suggests starting your day with a green smoothie or a shake with vegetables and/or berries that you don’t think you’ll get throughout the day. Personally, I try to get these amounts of fruits and vegetables each day but if I am unable to reach them, I use pre-made smoothies from the grocery store and/or supergreen supplement powders at the end of the day to make up for what I’ve missed. Another simple habit to help this is by, rather than keeping your fruit hidden in your fridge, leave it in a bowl on the counter so you walk by and see it every day. This is a tip I’ve heard from multiple experts, including James Clear, an expert on motivation and success through improving your habits.2-4 Tip #3 - Soda KickDr. Cate Shanahan, physician and nutrition expert, states that one soda each day can increase your risk of heart attack by 30% and increase calcium buildup in your arteries by 70%. She also states, “I don’t recommend diet soda unless you are using it as a bridge to kick the regular soda habit.” Habits to Help Kick the SodaIn order to kick this habit, you need to find an alternative you enjoy. Dr. Cate suggests the following alternatives: ice-cold sparkling water with a lemon wedge, herbal tea, or 6-10oz of kombucha with the lowest amount of sugar you can find. Although Dr. Cate does not advocate for any sweeteners, Shawn Stevenson and Ben Greenfield both believe Stevia is a good and safe alternative to sugar. Personally, the alternatives I use are iced tea, lemonade (made with water and lemon juice), or an iced tea/lemonade mixture sweetened with stevia.5 ConclusionI’m sure these habits sound like a lot but they have been very helpful for me and if you fall short some days, don’t stress – it’s better to make some effort than not try at all. Dr. Cate recommends trying to make one new change each time you go to the market rather than making a whole list of changes at once. You can also start small and work your way up by limiting soda rather than going cold turkey or trying to work in just 1 serving of vegetables each day and don’t worry about the type of vegetable, just pick something you enjoy eating.6 Next time you go to the market, try one of these habit changes. Small changes each day turn into enormous improvements over time. Thank you for reading and I hope this helps you. If you find one habit is successful and you enjoy it, try the next one. Let me know how it goes in the comments below! Also, if you have any questions, feel free to comment below or ask me via email @ twelvepathsnews@gmail.com. If you enjoyed this post, take a minute and subscribe to the blog by going to my Contact Page and entering your email. Also, share the post with friends by doing a simple copy & paste. Resources
For today's post, I decided to do something different and create a graphic. The purpose of this graphic is to show the exercises that are good for anyone looking to be proficient with a barbell, dumbbell, and/or kettlebell. In my opinion, this is a great starting point for someone who is just starting to work with a certain type of equipment, and ideally, I think it is important to be comfortable using all three. One thing that is not included in this graphic is bodyweight exercises - those are just as important to be comfortable with. If you know how to perform all of these exercises, I think you'll find that your workouts have enough variety that you'll be excited to enter the gym and you should exit feeling exhausted from a great workout if you have a good mixture of compound lifts (squat, deadlift, or press for example) and isolation lifts (curl, row, or lateral side raise for example). Here are some quality resources you can use to find out how to perform these lifts correctly: Scott Herman Fitness - YouTube Channel Mind Pump TV - YouTube Channel Becoming a Supple Leopard by Dr. Kelly Starrett Bigger Leaner Stronger by Mike Matthews StrongerbyScience.com - Greg Nuckols' Definitive Guide for the Squat, Deadlift, and Bench Press There are several other great resources, these are just a few that I like to reference. Feel free to save and share this graphic, just please share this post along with it. Simply copy & paste the link.
If you enjoyed this post and would like to subscribe to this blog, go to my Contact Page. I'll simply notify you of new posts or important news related to the blog. If you have any questions or comments, please comment below. Thank you for reading and share on! Huge Announcement!!!! Book release planned for January 2021!!! I just finished writing a book and just have to make the finishing touches (final edits, book cover design, formatting, etc.) and could use your help! The book will be a series of biographies on experts in the field of health and fitness, from strength & conditioning to nutrition to physical therapy. All of the experts, their backgrounds, and the research I've done can be seen on my About Twelve Paths Page. These biographies don't just go over their backgrounds and how they built their platform as experts in the field but also shares all of the tips that I found helpful after reading their books and articles as well as listening to hundreds of hours of podcast interviews done by each of them. Let me know your thoughts for a book title you see most fit - that you would see in a book store and think it is worth reading. Please give me your honest opinion. Even if you select "None of the Above" I sincerely appreciate your input. If you like one but it could use some work, please let me know that in the comment box at the bottom! While I am going through these final phases of the publishing process, I will likely have a post like this pinned to the top of my blog so I can get as much help from you guys as possible. Note: To clarify, my plan is to have twelve experts total, hence the name "Twelve Paths." This book will only have six or seven experts so it will be Volume 1 of 2 since it took roughly 2 years and I don't want the information getting any more dated before publication. Workout/Exercise 2-minute read IntroductionFrom researching experts in strength and conditioning, it is interesting that they seem to have very similar go-to cues for the main lifts (the barbell bench press, squat, and deadlift), even though they have very different coaching styles. Some experts put a lot of care into perfecting form and others put more consideration into getting as high of numbers as possible. This is extremely controversial in the health and fitness community because there’s no direct evidence spelling out the “safest” forms and some argue that you can be more apt to get injured if you’re constantly worried about getting hurt and always concerned about perfect form. Featured in this post are Kelly Starrett (physical therapist, coach at his gym (San Francisco Crossfit), and virtual coach through TheReadyState.com), Mike Matthews (author and virtual coach through LegionAthletics.com), and Greg Nuckols (researcher and coach through StrongerByScience.com). All of these individuals have coached thousands of individuals so I trust that these cues will be helpful for you to know. Barbell Bench Press“Once you’ve got your grip set, squeeze the ever loving shit out of the bar.” This is a quote from Greg Nuckols’, “How to Bench Press: The Definitive Guide” and he also mentioned it in his interview on the E3 Rehab Podcast. Mike Matthews suggests doing this in his books, Bigger Leaner Stronger and Thinner Leaner Stronger as well. It is not clear on why this works, whether it is activating certain muscles more or whatnot, but - they aren't just confident - they know that it does in fact work. Barbell Back Squat“Screw your feet into the floor.” Here is another quote from Greg Nuckols, from his article called, “How to Squat: The Definitive Guide”, which he advises using as you are dropping down in the squat. Make sure to screw your feet away from your body, not towards. This is also taught by Kelly Starrett in his wildly popular book, Becoming a Supple Leopard (p. 64-65). This cue works to help stabilize and create tension in your hips. It also prevents your knees from falling inward (or ‘valgus knees’) as you squat. Barbell DeadliftGreg Nuckols states to focus on “ripping the floor in half,” at least until the bar is above your knees in his article "How to Deadlift: the Definitive Guide." This is a similar cue to the squat but an important one. Kelly Starrett also emphasizes this in Becoming a Supple Leopard, stating, “screw your feet into the ground and hands into the bar [away from your body] (p. 198-199).” Another common cue worth mentioning that could be applied to all of these lifts is to tense up your core during your set up. These are emphasized by all three experts mentioned in this post. ConclusionI decided to post on this topic because it seems to be a popular question among the fitness community. I've seen it asked multiple times in Facebook Groups I am in and it is a common topic in books and podcasts as well. If you have worked with a personal trainer before, you likely know all of these cues already but if you are a beginner, these cues should help you as they did me. If you plan on starting to train with a barbell on your own, I highly advise educating yourself beforehand or getting yourself a personal trainer until you are comfortable with each lift. All of the articles and books referenced in this post are great resources for this purpose. If you would like a suggestion on which resource is best for you, you can either comment below or email me at twelvepathsnews@gmail.com and I would be happy to make a suggestion based on your experience and your goals.
Thank you for reading this post. If you've found it helpful, please share it on. You can also subscribe to this blog by providing your email on my Contact Page. I will simply email you when new posts are up (currently about once per week) and of important news related to the blog. Media (Books, Podcasts, etc.) Motivation 3-minute read IntroductionIf you start wondering, "wait this is health/fitness blog, why are we learning about motivation," know that you're wrong. This is a blog to assist you on your self-improvement journey. A large focus on what I currently research is health and fitness related but this presentation made such a large impact on me that I felt it was important to share with you. If you need a kickstart to get inspired or if you just want to get some golden nuggets on how to be successful, you need to check out this presentation given by Sabrina Lloyd, CEO of Lloyd Agencies and hosted by Eric Thomas. Eric Thomas is a motivational speaker who has an incredible amount of inspirational content and I think this presentation left the biggest mark on me out of all of it. Sabrina brings the same energy as ET and provides extremely powerful tips on what to do to be successful. I first heard this when I was pretty close to graduating college and the audience she is presenting to is college students at Michigan State University. That being said, this information is helpful for anyone who feels they are willing to put in the work to be successful but have yet to make the right moves. Ever since I listened to this 2-3 years ago, I remember quotes from this presentation and, at times, they push me to continue working hard. In case you don’t want to listen to the hour-long presentation, here is a breakdown of the material… SummaryBefore Sabrina comes out, ET is preparing them for her. Something powerful that he says is, “degrees don’t necessarily make you successful. Its knowledge and skills and the application of those skills.” This is a great point – in order to do well outside of college and to stay employed, you need to prove that you’re worth the company’s investment of time and money. A common quote from ET is reiterated in this portion of the track as well - stating, “speed kills,” and suggesting that being 15 minutes early really means you are on time. To begin, Sabrina states, “anything that you want it is absolutely possible if you follow the blue print to get there,” and that she is about to share that blueprint with you. By successful, she means that: 1. You control money. You don’t let money control you/your decisions. 2. You are able to buy nice things, morally and ethically. When you see a red Ferrari pull up next to you, you shouldn’t assume that person was handed it or that they are greedy or that they are a drug dealer. That individual likely worked hard for what they have and you should want to learn from those people. Then, she goes on to share a ton of solid tips, including: 1. Quit getting offended when someone says something to you. “When you get offended… you will get smacked around the rest of your life.” Instead, get inspired. 2. We are not all equal. The only time we are all equal is in the beginning. “We unequalize ourselves every day by the decisions that we make. If I make harder decisions than you, if I make tougher decisions than you, how can you say that I am equal to you... We are not the same anymore!” Start looking at how you can step up your game.
3. Pay back your school/country by wearing it on your back. People are what brings value to a country. Make yourself a resource. 4. “Everyone wants to be successful until they see what it actually takes.” You may have to put your relationships on hold, even family members, if you want to be successful. 5. Not until everything is stripped away do you know what you really want. For example:
6. Wealth is a state of mind. Get in different environments to get out of the “lack”/poverty mindset and into the wealth mindset. You attract money by being mentally wealthy. 7. “Always do more than you are currently paid to do. That’s how to make an investment in your future.” Work to make impact and raise the standard. 8. Be a warrior. Warriors have options, they create favorable conditions, and they exist to service others. Work hard and never surrender. ConclusionI understand that this is a ton of information thrown in a short post so I encourage you to listen to the track so that a stronger impression is made on you. At the end of the day, ambition comes from you but I can tell you that Sabrina’s words have really pushed me to do the best job I can to make an impact in and out of the workplace.
Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this post, please share it. Also, if you would like to subscribe to this blog in order to be notified of new posts and big news, head over to my Contact Page. Food/Nutrition, Motivation, Workout/Exercise 3-minute read IntroductionI see this question all the time and it’s really the main purposes of this blog site: to help you find resources for nutrition and fitness, whether you are a beginner or looking to learn more on top of what you already know. If you’ve asked this question that means you’ve already started. Something sparked the thought that you want to find a plan that works for you - for nutrition, exercise, or both. Maybe this was a motivational speaker you heard or your weight hit a number that you never want to see again or you had your first kid and realize you want to be around for as long as possible. No matter the reason, you need to find the resources to get you headed in the right direction. I suggest taking the following 4 steps... 1. Figure Out Your GoalsFirst off, what are you trying to achieve? Nutrition and fitness are far too complex to try and understand everything at once. Are you trying to build muscle? Do you want to work on your form during certain lifts? Find new exercises? Are you trying to lose weight? This is a bit more complicated because of how many diets there are out there. My advice is to research which diet sounds most practical for you. Personally, I find Paleo to be a great introduction to avoiding sugary and starchy junk foods. By simply avoiding processed foods, you’ll find that your daily carbohydrate and sugar count will go down and it will be easier not to overeat. If diet isn’t your issue, find an exercise plan that sounds most practical depending on what you enjoy doing and what you realistically have time for. If you aren’t sure and would like to do a further assessment to figure out your goals, check out a popular post of mine - Setting Goals (Warren Buffet, Jordan Pederson). 2. Find an ExpertIf you look at my Recommended Books Page or my About Page, you will find a number of experts with all different backgrounds and areas of expertise. Whether you want to build muscle, lose weight, or work on improving specific aspects of your current programming, there should be someone you can respect and would like to learn more from more. Check out their website, books they've written, interviews they've done, etc. to find out if you want to learn more of what they have to say. 3. Research/ReadPersonally, the only form of media I trust for full nutrition or fitness plans are books. Most programs are simply too complex to explain in an article and you want to make sure it is a plan that you trust will work, especially if you are a beginner. Also, don’t just pick up one book. I find that self-help, fitness, nutrition, and cookbooks all go together. At a minimum, pick up or download 2-3 books from a mixture of those categories. For example, if you want to work on your diet, pick up 1 book from the expert you chose to learn from and then pick up 1 or 2 cookbooks related to the diet you would like to try. Many nutrition books introduce their own meal plans and provide recipes but I can tell you that cookbooks will give you a much better idea of all the options and should make you realize the diet won’t be too difficult to follow. Take this step seriously. Keep a highlighter with you and really get to know the diet/training program they’re prescribing. When looking at cookbooks, cut out or mark the pages of recipes you want to try. 4. ImplementIn the end, it is all on you. You can read all the self-help, fitness, and diet books you want, but if you don’t act on it, nothing will change and you will just waste your time and money. All while researching and reading, you should be doing something to get started. Pick up dumbbells or a kettlebell, or find a gym or a club that you like, or make an effort to limit sugars/carbohydrates. Find what you like best – you make tweaks to their program or combine aspects of different programs. Whatever you enjoy doing and can see yourself doing consistently for a long time is the program for you. ConclusionI hope this helps you. This is the method that I took once I had the motivation to get started. I had been working out consistently but wasn’t seeing any improvements so I decided to take it seriously and attempted to improve my nutrition and find a workout plan that works for me – and I did. There are experts out there who want nothing more than to assist you in reaching your goals who have huge followings raving about how well their programs work.
If you want advice on which expert to follow, comment below with what you are looking to accomplish and I’ll do my best to help. You can also email me at twelvepathsnews@gmail.com. Lastly, if you enjoyed this post please share it on (simply copy the link into your social media feed) and subscribe to the blog on my Contact Page. I will not spam your email but only notify you of new blog posts or important news related to the blog. Thank you for reading! Motivation 3-minute read IntroductionAside from this blog, there are many things I am doing behind the scenes related to the goals that I’ve put in place. Whenever I am not at my job, I am usually researching or writing. Health, fitness, and motivation are all topics I find extremely interesting and I find value in learning and sharing what I find. Over the past 3-4 years, I’ve been invested in educational podcasts and books on these topics and just can’t get enough. If you’re wondering what keeps me motivated, I would say it boils down to three things: 1. Inspiring PeopleThere is a reason there are so many people like Joe Rogan, Tim Ferriss, and Tony Robbins that have such a huge following. Not only do these people have inspiring backgrounds themselves, but they’ve also inspired thousands (if not millions) to start their own businesses or passion projects. Twelve Paths revolves around researching experts, which opens my eyes to just how many people like this there are out there. Health and fitness experts like those that I have researched have worked extremely hard for the past 10+ years to get where they are and now many of them have 6 or even 8-figure companies. The fact that their inspiration comes from helping people and the amount of knowledge that they share keeps me wanting to learn more and to research more experts. 2. Learning New ThingsWhen I was in elementary and middle school, I loved reading. Through high school and college, I dropped this hobby, likely because all of my time was focused on either school or my friends. Although, the amount of work I had in college reinforced my love for learning and I feel like I proved to myself that hard work does pay off. Towards the end of college, I got turned to motivational people like Eric Thomas and Jocko Willink. Both of these icons share an incredible amount of knowledge that revolves around working hard to achieve your goals. Then, Jocko turned me to a world I never researched deeply before but always found interesting, health and fitness, referencing experts featured on the Joe Rogan podcast like Peter Attia. From there, I found a topic I could dig my heels into and I’ve rediscovered my love for reading. I mainly focus on health and fitness but I also educate myself on business, motivation, and writing so that I can develop new skills and achieve my goals. I also learn through podcasts and articles – the amount of resources you can find on any topic nowadays is endless. If you searched, you can find experts you enjoy learning from about topics that interest you in whatever form of media you prefer – my forms are books and podcasts but if you prefer documentaries and audiobooks, then all you have to do is search the topic that interests you and go from there. 3. Constantly Improving and Achieving GoalsI’ve learned that time spent watching TV and playing video games is mostly wasted. There are definitely times that we all need to just get away and de-stress. I love spending time with family, spending time outdoors, and playing video games but I also feel like I need to work hard while I’m young and I can say I feel like I’m making good use of my time overall. By setting goals and working towards them, I feel like every year for the past 4 years has been better than the last when it comes to feeling accomplished. The health and fitness experts that I follow often share valuable information on creating new habits, setting goals, and other motivational tips but I also look to people like James Clear, Michael Hyatt, Eric Thomas, and Jocko WIllink for that information as well. ConclusionIf you are inspired simply by reading this post, I highly suggest you do the following… Start. Find a topic that interests you and do your research. Find books, podcasts, documentaries, or whichever media you enjoy most and start digging in. You’ll come to find out there is an endless spiral. There will be experts you do not care for and experts that you respect and enjoy listening to. It could be music, art, business, writing, history… Whatever you enjoy or want to improve your knowledge in. You can tell yourself, “I don’t have the time for that,” but most media you can listen to while you are driving. I bet you will start to enjoy it and rather than spending time watching your favorite show or playing your favorite game, you’ll choose to educate yourself through reading or watching a documentary.
Thank you for reading! If you have questions or comments, please comment below. Also, if you enjoyed reading this post then subscribe on my Contact page and share this post by doing a copy and paste with the link. If you subscribe, I promise I will not spam you but will only notify you when new posts are up on this blog. IntroductionI've used pre-workout supplements for a long time and regularly before each workout (4-5x per week) for the past year. The first pre-workouts that I tried were rather intense. When you take certain pre-workouts, you experience an itchy/bug-crawly feeling as you start to feel a big burst of energy. My gut feeling after taking these a handful of times was that these supplements can't be good for you to regularly take. After I started researching health/fitness experts, I learned that they may not be as harmful as I thought and that their main components are ingredients like caffeine, which is well-researched and generally known not to be harmful. Just last week, I worked out at a gym that served me pre-workout - it was a brand that I never tried before and I was pleasantly surprised with it. The trainer also told me that this was a "healthier" option that would not give me the odd itchy feeling and still give me great energy throughout my workout. This got me intrigued to do a deep dive into different products and their ingredients. The 4 products shown in the picture above are the ingredients lists that I looked at and I evaluated their ingredients by using Examine.com, which is a well-known source for credible "science-based nutrition & supplement information." The common ingredients each of these products had were:
By "common" I mean at least 2/4 of these products contained each of these ingredients. The first 3 were in all 4 products and creatine was in 2, but is typical when looking at other brands. Let's take a look at each of these ingredients... CaffeineCaffeine is wildly popular and known for its attributes as a stimulant and nootropic, allowing you to stay awake and alert. This is definitely the main component of a pre-workout, ranging from 150-350mg/serving. I will not go deep into the caffeine research, what health experts have to say, and the controversy of if it is detrimental to your health - I went over this in a previous post so if you'd like to learn more on that, you can check out that out here: All About the Caffeine. Cellucor's C4 - 150 mg/serving Beyond Raw's Lit - 250 mg/serving Redcon1's Total War - 250 mg/serving Legion's Pulse - 350 mg/serving To put it into perspective, an average cup (8oz) of coffee has about 100mg of caffeine. Beta-alanineBeta-alanine appears to have a wide variety of benefits including:
Cellucor's C4 - 1.6 g/serving Beyond Raw's Lit - 3.2 mg/serving Redcon1's Total War - 3.2 mg/serving Legion's Pulse - 3.6 mg/serving L-Citrulline/ArganineL-Citrulline is an amino acid that turns into Arganine, and therefore is said to be more effective than Arganine. Some of these products contain L-Citrulline and some contain Arganine. Either way, these ingredients have very limited evidence for their believed benefits of increasing blood flow and reducing fatigue. Cellucor's C4 - 1g Arganine/serving Beyond Raw's Lit - 3g L-Citrulline, 1.5g Arganine/serving Redcon1's Total War - 6g (L-Citrulline Mixture)/serving Legion's Pulse - 8g (L-Citrulline Mixture)/serving CreatineCreatine is another popular supplement that is well-researched and proven to have muscle-building benefits with no harmful effects except possible GI discomfort. If you do have GI discomfort, I suggest trying a different brand/type. Benefits include:
Some experts say that creatine is actually more beneficial to take after the workout, which goes against the first bullet. Either way, most people get their creatine from a separate supplement and have specific doses so I would not say it is essential to have in a pre-workout supplement. Cellucor's C4 - 1g/serving Beyond Raw's Lit - 1.5g/serving Redcon1's Total War - 0g/serving Legion's Pulse - 0g/serving Comparing ProductsOverall, nothing in the ingredients lists for these products showed any sort of red flag when I researched them at Examine.com. They are also all very flavorful but extremely low in calories, carbohydrates, and sugars. I researched the full list of ingredients for all of these products. Here is a look at the products overall... Cellucor's C4To match the other products' creatine and beta-alanine, you may want two servings to get similar effects. Experiment with 1 serving first and if it doesn't feel like enough, don't worry about taking another half or full scoop. The only ingredients outside of what was already talked about is mainly essential vitamins, specifically B and C. These vitamins are good for your general health. They also may improve your cardiovascular health, blood flow, and brain function but there isn't a whole lot of research backing those claims. N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine has some scary symptoms but only in doses that are at least 30x greater than what is in a serving of C4. This ingredient has been shown to reduce stress from acute stressors. This costs $1/serving on Amazon.com and can be found at just about any place that sells pre-workouts including Walmart, GNC, and popular gyms. Beyond Raw's Lit
Redcon1's Total War
This costs $1/serving on Amazon.com and is sold at most places that have pre-workout supplements including GNC and popular gyms. Legion's Pulse
ConclusionIt is pretty incredible how much variety you get with pre-workouts. Face-value, you would think all these brands are the same except for the flavors. Personally, I do not feel much of a difference when taking these products - they all do the job, getting me pumped up for my workout and keeping me energized as I get through it without crashing. I'm glad I took this deep dive, really got to know the ingredients, and saw that there were really no red flags in any of these products revealing them as harmful. I feel as long as I monitor my caffeine and limit myself to 1-2 coffees for the rest of the day after taking my pre-workout, I am not doing any harm to my body and I feel fantastic after taking pre-workout. Many times, I workout very early in the morning, around 5:00AM so I need that extra boost.
I hope you enjoyed reading this. If you learned something and you want to share, please do. Also, go to my Contact Page to subscribe so that you get notified of new posts. I, personally, have no interest in using steroids to build muscle/strength but I do find the conversation interesting. Media has set such a negative eye on steroid use that any association with professional athletes and steroids completely ruins their public image. People immediately forget the amount of work that it took to get to where they are and that genetics play a significant role. Obviously, some people do abuse steroids, like with any drug, but media has made us forget what steroids really do, why people take them, and that athletes can use them responsibly. I highly suggest watching the video above with Joe Rogan & Ronnie Coleman (professional bodybuilder, 8-time Mr. Olympia Champion) to learn a bit about what steroids do and why the decision to take steroids can be a respectable one. Greg Nuckols' View & Research on SteroidsGreg is a record-breaking raw (meaning no "special equipment," which includes being drug-free) powerlifter who is pretty darn close to a 2000lb combined total in the big three (squat, deadlift, and bench press). That being said, he shows a lot of respect to those who take steroids, shares a lot of information on steroids in his books and on his website, StrongerByScience.com, and even talks (half-jokingly) about possibly taking steroids in the future just for the sake of getting even bigger and stronger. To share some of Greg's insight on steroids, here is a summary of what I learned from reading one of his articles, How Much More Muscle Can You Build With Steroids. This article looks at multiple scientific articles comparing non-users and users, which include competitive athletes with at least 6-7 years of lifting experience. What is obvious is that the users did indeed have an advantage, averaging about 35lb more of lean muscle mass and a significantly larger fat-free mass index (which factors in lean muscle mass and height) on average as well. "Over the course of a training career, it seems like steroids allow you to build about twice as much muscle as you'd be able to drug-free." Another thing he makes clear is that steroid effects taper off. Just as gains are highest at the start of your lifting career and they decrease over time as a natural weightlifter, they also do when taking steroids if your dose remains the same. As you increase the dose, gains increase as well. One interesting point that Greg makes is how steroids were likely being used by lifters in the 1950's and 60's but drug testing did not occur until 1968, so if drugs were a key component to muscle/strength gains, we would not expect to see records continuously being broken so quickly after. ConclusionAs beneficial as steroids are in building muscle, we shouldn't forget what role genetics have to play and that they can be taken responsibly. Also, most bodybuilders/powerlifters simply love the competition and are not receiving much money for winning competitions. It is important to know there is a line to draw when it comes to steroids: who is abusing them or encouraging others to abuse them and who is simply taking them for the reason we are interested in sports, the competition. Let's respect regulations but also respect these athletes' decisions knowing the fact that they can be smart about it with continuous supervision by their doctors. Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please share and subscribe to the blog to get notified of new posts by going to the Contact page.
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