Wow, there was tons of great comments on my latest blog post that talked about vegan and vegetarian athletes. Be sure to read them as you could learn a thing or two.
And also recently I shared my blood test results.
One thing that test did not have was Omega 6/Omega 3 fatty acid ratios. This is something you definitely want to look at for optimal health.
But I had this test done separately (again another shout out to Mike T Nelson for hooking me up here).
This was done thru Omega3Test.com
As you can see while I’m better than the average American I’m not optimal. Since receiving this results I’ve been upping my dose of daily fish oil.
My ratio at the time of the test was at 6.4 to 1.
The lower you get that in general the better. I’ve heard some doctors, that know what they’re talking about, saying optimal is 3:1, 2:1 or even 1:1.
Although I eat a good amount of grassfed beef which has a similar fatty acid profile to fish (i.e. much higher omega 3’s then commercial meats) I still need more supplemental omega 3‘s.
So that’s exactly what I’m doing.
I’m going to be hooking you up with very special for you later this week. Stay tuned.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Health, Nutrition by on Sep 26th, 2011. 9 Comments. 
I received this question from Zack the other day after my post about my blood work. I thought it was good enough to answer for everyone.
“I’ve heard a lot of information about vegetarian and vegan diets for athletes, could you point me in the direction of a reputable source to help me become a vegan athlete? Thank you for your time.”
This
question brings up several topics worth answering.
1) Why should a person be vegetarian, vegan or not?
2) Who can you look to that have done it?
3) Why everyone can learn from this?
To be Vegan or Not to be?
There are some that want everyone in the world to become vegan. The militant vegan who would sooner murder you for eating a hamburger, then the cow. Luckily these people are few and far between. The majority allow you to make your own food choices.
Here is what everyone needs to realize. Any diet only works for a select portion of the population. What would make one person healthy could kill another.
Some people may need to consume meat in order to be healthy.
Others can get by without meat but would fall apart in the long run without dairy or eggs. This is known as a lacto-ovo vegetarian.
There’s also some who consider eating fish or chicken still vegetarian but I don’t. And a vegan is someone who consumes no animal products at all.
A couple decades ago lots of information came out that painted all animal food in a bad light. Just like the myth that cholesterol is bad for you and is going to cause you heart disease. While the factory farming and hormone pumped up cattle are obviously not healthy, animal products are not as a whole unhealthy.
And some people choose not to consume them for spiritual or ethical reasons. I have no qualms with you for doing that. But to say its all unhealthy is not true.
Like the simple fact that there is no real vegetarian source of long chain omega 3 fatty acids, and many people can’t efficiently convert the short chain versions found in foods like flax, hemp and chia seeds. But some can.
There are many who seemingly thrive on a vegan diet. There is also a whole bunch of people whose health fell apart in the long run and had to go back to an omnivorous diet.
What it comes down to is you’re going to have to experiment and find what works for you whether vegan, vegetarian or not.
Vegan Athlete Role Models?
So that answers question number one. Number two is pretty easy.
Two top people in the strength and fitness world that I have personally met and are testaments to doing it right are Mike Mahler and Jon Hinds. Also if you want to go a step beyond into raw food eating I would look at Peter Ragnar. (I’m sure there are many more notable people, but these came to mind right away.)
You can find plenty of information on their sites and also in this interview series that includes all three of them and about the specifics of what they eat.
Study what they do and use it as the starting point for what you’re trying to achieve. Don’t blindly follow what they say but observe, learn and experiment with it.
The Great Experiment
And now onto question three. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say it would be worthwhile for almost everyone to experiment with being vegetarian or vegan for a time.
Why?
Even if you have no plans of becoming a life long vegan or vegetarian you can get benefit out of doing this. Without falling back on meat or dairy products you’re going to have to explore new possibilities.
Some people are afraid they can’t get enough protein without these sources. Actually there are plenty of vegan options but you’re to have to try out new things.
I was vegetarian for about 6 months. By doing this experiment you’ll start trying new foods and often a bunch more variety. And when you go back, if you go back, you can take your new options with you.
Before this experiment I ate meat at almost every meal. Nowadays its usually once a day. That works well for me.
You can also find if you feel better or worse when doing this. Now be warned you may feel much better for a period of time, even several years, but then you realize you’re deficient in something that animal foods may provide. Common ones are B12, Omega 3’s, and cholesterol.
Also you may feel worse by being thrown into detox, which is temporary, but will improve your health in the long run.
So I would say this is an experiment worth doing for what you can get out of it.
Have you gone vegan or vegetarian? What are your thoughts? Post your comments below.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
P.S. I have some exciting projects on the horizon. Stay tuned for an incredible deal coming soon.
Filed under Health, Nutrition by on Sep 21st, 2011. 30 Comments.
Did you catch the earlier parts?
Kettlebells – Part 1
Bodyweight Training – Part 2
Monster Strength and Conditioning – Part 3
Can your body handle your environment?
A one size fits all approach does not exist.
Yet, there are commonalities even among very different yet healthy diets (such as a meat based diet versus veganism). By looking at these commonalities you can become healthier easily without the debate.
Because there are so many different eating plans there are not that many of these similarities. But once you have them safely stored in your brain it makes all dietary choices easier. And once you make them habits then health comes easily.
Since we know that different people get wide ranging results on different diets where should you start? Look at what others are doing and use that as a starting point for your experiments.
Now let’s talk about performance. How will getting healthier make you better at lifting weights or any sport?
What would happen if you were at 100% each day? If not 100, than how about 90% which is a much more achievable goal? And what happens when you expand the boundaries of the vitality you feel each day (Like making your old 100% only feel like 50% of how you feel today)?
With constant tweaks and improvements it is possible.
Let’s take getting sick for instance. No one enjoys that. When we’re talking about performance it means obviously you’ll have to take some time off or at the very least ease back. Well, getting sick is an option. If you keep your immune system strong it will not happen except in cases of extreme lifestyle distress. And even then you have to ask yourself what could I do to avoid this?
If you EVER get sick you are not as healthy as you can be. It’s a bold statement but one I believe in. Sickness is indicative of problems in the future, not just now.
Having more health is obviously better. And being able to perform better because of your greater health is a plus.
Once you have the foundation with 90% of the basics set then you can begin to play with the advanced stuff.
The fact is with our environment as toxic as it is, in the air, food, and water supply (not to mention nuclear radiation) these days you can’t always just rely on the basics. A few well-picked supplements and a watchful eye are necessary to maintain true radiant health.
We are getting less of what we need and using up even more of it. It’s no wonder there is so much disease everywhere you look.
I’ll be going into much more detail on these subjects at the Super Human Training Workshop. Telling you specific steps you can take to safeguard your health. Not only me, but Bud will be giving his take on health and nutrition too.
The price goes up in TWO DAYS. Make sure to sign up now.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Nutrition, workshops by on Mar 29th, 2011. Comment.
I’ve gone even deeper than ever before in my study of diet and nutrition to maximize health and performance.
One thing has become very much clear to me. I knew this before but now it’s set in stone, no doubt in my mind.
That is that people are individual. What works for one person will not necessarily work for another. In fact what gives one person the body of their dreams, and limitless energy could straight up end up killing another person.
All the more reason you can’t buy a diet book and follow the plan to the letter…except as an experiment to see if that works for you. Any program that doesn’t take this into account is bound to fail for a percentage of the population.
That’s why every diet will have success stories and utter failures. And that’s just talking about the people that are compliant with it.
Now I understand I’m a bit different then most people. I am not looking at changing my diet in order to cure an “uncurable” disease. I am looking to find what works very best for me specifically on a performance level. Not just in the gym but the mental edge in all of life as well.
This is a ‘towards’ versus an ‘away from’ strategy which puts me in the minority.
The majority, if they don’t have illness or disease, only look at what their eating when they have some weight they want to lose. I’m not saying this is bad, its just another aspect of how different people are built differently.
Health and weight loss are correlated to each other but certainly not equal. Just like size and strength are correlated but not equal. More muscular people tend to be stronger. Less fat people tend to be healthier. The inverse is also true but the keyword is ‘tend to’.
You can lose weight while still eating unhealthy. Just ask the guy that did the twinkie diet.
In my studies I’ve learned from many different people. One person in the last year that has opened up a new area to me is Mike T. Nelson and the idea of metabolic flexibility.
The basic premise of it is to become more flexible in your eating in terms of quality, macronutrient profile, quantity and much more. In fact you can eat many “unhealthy” foods and still get results in weight loss.
This material spoke true to my own experience. Actually I was already eating like this for the most part which may be part of the reason for my very lean 6‘2“ frame at 185lbs. Having this flexibility is great for your health and losing weight as many people have seen.
While I eat great the majority of the time I make no claims of being perfect. But the truth is, albeit counterintuitive, perfection in diet can slow your results.
The best part is his program is put together in a way that you can easily make it part of your lifestyle for the long term. Its not some diet you’ll try and then stop doing.
That’s because one of the main premises is the quantity and when you eat instead of just what you’re eating.
I don’t agree with everything. One statement he makes rubs me the wrong way which is to see how bad you can eat while still maintaining your goals. While this may work well for fat loss, I just can’t quite agree with it in regards to health.
Still this is definitely worth checking out especially if you‘re looking to lose a few pounds.
Check out Metabolic Flexibility.
Many of the misconceptions on fats, proteins, and carbs will be cleared up. Go to this page and you’ll see the results some other people have gotten and continue to get.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
P.S. Less than a week away to get the early bird discount for half price for the Super Human Training Workshop. I highly encourage you to sign up right now. It ends after Monday next week!
Filed under Nutrition by on Feb 23rd, 2011. 1 Comment.
Not really.
But after last night I’d be lying if I said I didn’t consider it.
You see, last night I finally watched the documentary Bigger, Stronger, Faster which is all about steroids. I’d heard about it for sometime but I didn’t get around to watching it until now.
If you haven’t seen it here is a brief synopsis from Wikipedia:
The documentary examines the steroid use of the director Christopher Bell and his two brothers, Mark and Mike Bell, who all grew up idolizing Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hulk Hogan, and Sylvester Stallone, and also features professional athletes, medical experts, fitness center members, and US Congressmen talking about the issue of anabolic steroids.
Beyond the basic issue of anabolic steroid use, Bigger, Stronger, Faster examines the lack of consistency in how America views drugs, cheating, and the lengths people go to achieve success.
The film looks beyond the steroid issue to such topics as Tiger Woods’ laser eye correction to 20/15 vision, professional musicians use of anxiety reducing drugs, or athletes’ dependence on cortisone shots, which are a legal steroid. It takes a skeptical view of the health risks of steroids and is critical of the legal health supplement industry.
Some very interesting points were viewed in the film.
The Dangers of Drug Use
Steroids aren’t as dangerous as they’re made out to be and with them being mostly illegal no long term studies will be conducted. ‘Roid rage is pretty much just a myth. Not that there isn’t any side effects. As with all drugs, pharmaceutical, recreational, and otherwise, too much, too often is always dangerous.
As the one fitness model said there are no side effects. Except, wait a sec, he got a case of bitch tits and had to have his nipple removed and put back on! To him a minor surgery (as if any surgery is minor) and no big deal. To me that alone makes me hands down never want to do them.
In our pill popping culture why wouldn’t someone who wants to get bigger take drugs to do it. After all, they take drugs to sleep better, when they get a headache, for heart troubles and to get an erection. But because steroids are illegal many won’t do it.
The Healthful Side of Steroids
Except they’re not completely illegal. You can get hormone replacement therapy done with doctor. Much of anti-aging medicine is about restoring the hormones to regular if not optimal levels. Sometimes this is done more naturally, sometimes not so much.
Where is the line between someone who is taking testosterone for their health and someone who is taking it to get the edge?
For me personally I’ve gotten big into natural Chinese tonic herbs. Many of these are used to get the hormones running right. One of the precepts for the superior class of herbs is that they can do no harm even if you are one them long term. That they have an overall healthful effects not harmful even taken all the time and in large doses.
Contrast this to drugs with their list of side effects. And as was pointed out to me by George Lamoureux of Jing Herbs all those potential side effects aren’t side effects. They are effects. They simply manifest themselves in some people but stay on an unnoticeable level in others, still wreaking havoc inside the body, yet not making symptoms occur.
By doing the proper training and eating correctly you’ll naturally optimize your hormones, get lean muscle mass and the youthful effects that brings. However no matter how well you do it, it won’t give you the same effects as injecting testosterone into yourself. It simply can’t be done.
The Drive to Win
So if you need to become bigger, stronger and more injury resistant what do you do? In order to be the best you have to beat the best. If all the others are on performance enhancing drugs what chance will you have unless you join them?
As is commonly known about bodybuilders all the guys at the top are on steroids. But so are the majority of powerlifters, strongmen, and Olympic athletes in just about every field. Louie Simmons makes it pretty clear in his gym Westside Barbell it’s almost a prerequisite to train there.
And you know what? It’s understandable.
I suppose it’s not fair if you pit a “natural” athlete against one on steroids. But what about when you pit a bunch of juiced athletes against each other? Doesn’t the win and title go to the person who still worked the hardest, has the commitment and does the best?
In a drive to get to the top it’s no wonder its so prevalent. While steroids may be a shortcut there is no real shortcut when you spend every single day and years of effort to become the best. For many sports you cannot go as far as you could if you don’t take steroids.
Why I Still Say No
Yet, I’m still not going to do them. Ever. Should I give up on my plans to become one of the strongest people out there? Not at all.
Look at the oldtime strongmen. Many had the greatest physiques ever. And certainly I believe most men would rather look like John Grimek than Jay Cutler. While most records have fallen time and time again some of the oldtime strongmen still hold world records not likely to be broken.
Even with all the pharmaceutical enhancement I haven’t seen anyone come close to Arthur Saxon’s bent press.
While I may not be able to compete with powerlifters I can do the things I do and become the best in them. Would steroids help? I’m sure they would in that I could train harder and recover faster. But do I need them? No.
Just look at my friend and business partner Bud Jeffries. Drug free his whole life. Squatted 1000 lbs. without a squats suit and even from the bottom of the rack. Many steroid users couldn’t even come close to that.
(By the way Bud is having a 25% off sale on everything at his site. It’s only for a few days longer so sprint on over there and check it out.)
I’m still looking for the edge in my training. Whether that comes from the best method of training, taking natural supplements, and using mental tactics.
For me I draw the line on steroid use.
Yet that line is hazy. As is shown in the film the Tour de France winner Floyd Landis and his atmospheric chamber. By sleeping in it he is able to produce more red blood cells which aid in endurance. The same thing goes on at the Olympic training center in Colorado with the high altitude. These are legal to do.
But blood doping (which is drawing out your own blood then reinjecting it the day before the event) or taking a drug which causes you to produce more red blood cells are not legal.
To me that makes sense. But I suppose each person will have to decide for themselves where that line is at. For some the legality is the only issue. For others their own morals don’t necessarily coincide with the law. The fact that steroids are illegal or not doesn’t effect my decision.
For me the funniest part of the film was the performance enhancing drugs used by musicians to calm themselves down. Legal and generally excepted by the whole group.
Each person will have to draw their own line on what is acceptable.
If you haven’t seen it I encourage you to check out the documentary. It’ll open your eyes to the brainwashing that most people have regarding the issue. From there you can make up your own mind.
If you have seen it I’d love to get your input below.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Health, Nutrition, Oldtime Strongmen, Recovery by on Nov 17th, 2010. 4 Comments.
Meant to get this out to you sooner but things have just been crazy around here. I’ll be having a big announcement next week but until then I wanted to leave you with something that’ll keep you busy.
Do you remember the film, “Super Size Me”?
You know the one where a guy in New York city (Morgan Spurlock) decided to eat nothing but McDonald’s for 30 days?
In the film Morgan showed what happens if you eat terrible food for 30 days. The results were not good.
Well I want to share with you an exclusive, behind the scenes video with Morgan Spurlock that I think is critically important for you to watch if you care about your health…
The question is asked what if you did something different? What if diabetics went on a 100% raw food diet for the same period of time. The results are astounding.
It’s pretty mind-blowing. Be sure to watch this video now as well as the other 3 in the series they’re giving away.
I think that this video will be a real eye opener for you.Check it out now.
In health,
Logan Christopher
P.S. When you sign up there you’ll be able to gain access to a few other videos including those with David Wolfe, whom I’m a big fan of and more. Yes, in the end they’ll be selling you something but it’s a cheap DVD with a couple other options. If you know anyone who needs to turn their health around you need to get this information in their hands.
Filed under Health, Nutrition by on Nov 8th, 2010. 1 Comment.
Over the weekend I did a fast. In total it lasted about 3 days.
Fasting is something I’ve been doing on and off for years. Recently, though I haven’t done all that much.
No food for three days
If you’re unfamiliar with fasting the basics of it are to go completely without food for a period of time. This can be as short as 24 hours (anything less I wouldn’t call a real fast). Or it can go on for longer than a month (this is generally not recommended for most people).
The Benefits of Fasting
There are several reasons why you’d want to fast. It gives the body a break. Did you know that digestion is one of the most energy intensive processes in the human body? Especially when you eat, eat, and eat never giving it a break it has no time to play catch-up.
But with a fast, and the digestion freed up, the body can begin to fortify itself. It can use the extra time and energy to detox the body. Especially in this day and age, even with the healthiest diet (and how many people really are on all the time?) you still need to detox.
Fasting is also a great way to build willpower as you will at times be hungry. The funny thing is after a period of time, the hunger goes away. As I write this food doesn’t even sound all that appetizing to me. I wouldn’t even be thinking about it except that I’m writing about it.
Want to lose weight? Regularly fasting, for instance one day per week, can certainly help. I’ve dropped down to below 180 now. Of course, I know that my weight will come back fast as I begin eating again, and then some.
I also believe that fasting could help you gain weight, done on a limited basis. It sounds counter-intuitive but fasting can better prepare your body to eat and assimilate food when you are eating, which you’ll also likely do more of. I haven’t fully tested this yet, but may at some point in the future.
What does this all have to do with strength and performance? I believe that the better you body runs, the cleaner it is, the better it will allow you to build and express your strength.
While Paul Bragg was a big advocate of water fasting, and that is what I always use to do, I took a different approach this time.
That is a Nutritional Fast.
A nutritional fast involves taking in nutrition while fasting. But that doesn’t make sense…I just said you can’t eat while fasting. To put it in a broad idea, macronutrients are not nutrition. Yes you need them and certain kinds are way better then others.
However, nutrition is pretty much all in the micronutrients. That is vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, enzymes, probiotics, herbs and the like. You could also stick some fats and amino acids here. These are not only necessary for your body to function, but necessary to make it thrive. The key difference is most macronutrients are used for fuel, while micronutrients are used for everything else.
When you take these in while fasting you do a number of things.
1. You make the fast easier. With nutrition coming in (often what your body is actually craving when it signals you for food) you don’t get as hungry. In fact, this time I’ve loaded up so much that I sometimes feel the sense of fullness. Having tea throughout the day certainly helps. Load that tea up with tonic herbs, even better.
2. You give the body what it needs to do its job better. I mentioned detoxing and freeing up the body’s energies. By providing nutrition your body can better do the job. If vitamins and minerals are necessary pieces in cleansing the body, through various enzymatic functions and what not, then you can basically accelerate your fast by doing so.
3. It may be a little healthier to do so. Unless you get consistent blood work done you don’t necessarily know of things you could be chronically deficient in. While having some form of nutrition, you better mitigate the risks of fasting not to say there is much risk in fasting, especially shorter versions, but it is not the right choice in all cases. Just ask Bernarr McFadden whose intense fasting protocols may have hastened his death!
I wanted to give you some ideas about fasting. For more, fasting is listed as several of the points in 101 Simple Steps to Radiant Health (with different ideas about fasting in each point).
Here’s a recent review I got in for the book:
“First of all I want to say that your 101 Simple Steps to Radiant Health! is a SICK book (In a good way!).
“The simplicity of it makes it a Awesome book about health, without all the scientific BS of MOST health books these days. Just straight to the point no fluff, NO BS, legit stuff! I consulted it & keep on consulting it day by day as a reminder of how IMPORTANT health is to strength & vice versa!
“I also started incorporating Almost ALL of the Steps that you mentioned in the book & have been noticing some amazing effects, especially with sleeping WITHOUT a pillow, which is a blessing to say the least. I never had any neck cramps or pain in the first place ( I Train my Neck like you do, with Wrestler Bridge/Front Bridge etc.). But still it made me fall in sleep faster & easier & it also improved my quality of sleep! so thanks for that bro! That one tip changed the way I sleep forever! Never going to go back to those damn pillows EVER again!
“I could go on & on & on about How much I like the book & how much I’ve learned from it, But I think you get the point!
“Bottom Line: It’s a Awesome Straight-to-the-point book Which every Health fanatic should have!”
Matti Marzel – The Netherlands
If you haven’t already I suggest you check out the book today.
And then if you’re new to it, try fasting. Just go from dinner to dinner the following day and see how it feels.
But if you do have experience fasting, nutritional, water, even without food and water, tell me about it below.
In health,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Health, Nutrition, Recovery by on Oct 18th, 2010. 1 Comment.
I got back from my trip last to the Longevity Now Conference last night. And what a trip it was.
I’m afraid I can only scratch the surface of everything I learned here. But I did want to give you a few things to take away from it.
With David 'Avocado' Wolfe
So if you are training hard, especially in conditioning, by being grounded while you do it you’ll perform better. All the more reason to train outside and barefoot.
2. We are energetic beings before chemical. This has wide ranging implications. I’ll leave you to take away what you can from that statement.
3. The key to losing weight that no one talks about. You can make high nutrition very low calorie foods (and I talking about ridiculously high nutrition, the likes of which your average person never gets). Make them taste unbelievable (literally like ice cream, vegan or not, with nothing bad in them), and use those to satisfy your body and energy needs.
With that you’ll be able to eat a lot less food and you won’t even have cravings. I dropped about 8 lbs this weekend without trying.
4. Did you know that the fluorine found in most water supplies virtually destroys the pineal gland by age 18? If you know the functions of the pineal gland then you know how bad this is.
5. If you want to be truly healthy it comes down to the intestinal bacteria in your gut. For instance, 70% of your immunity comes down to your healthy gut flora. This is not as easy as swallowing a single pill of probiotics or eating a small thing of yogurt each day. It takes much more work.
That’s why the very day when I got home I prepared my own sauerkraut and raw milk kefir.
6. I got so much information on hormone optimization I don’t even know where to start. To get your hormones better you need to kick out the bad ones (such as xenoestrogens caused by environmental and nutritional toxins) before you try to increase your testosterone. The indole-3-carbinol found in cruciferous vegetables will help deal with those xenoestrogens.
7. When it comes to anti-aging the length of your telomeres found in your DNA is the undisputed way to measure your biological clock. These naturally get shorter as time goes on through reproduction but it can be accelerated by all the things generally contributed to aging. Right now they’re seeking to find out how to switch on the enzyme telomerase which stops this process in the cells.
And so much more its crazy.
You may have missed the event but there are a few options open. They are selling the online videos in which you can watch the recordings of everything.
Even better they have a two for one deal on the next conference coming up in April. But this special is only open until October 1st. I’m already signed up and I suggest you do the same.
I’ll have more to share later on.
In health,
Logan Christopher
P.S. The only thing unfortunate about this weekend is I had little time to train. But now that I’m back I’ll be hitting a hard one in an hour or so. With the break and how great I’m feeling right now it’s sure to be a great one.
Filed under Conditioning, Health, Nutrition by on Sep 29th, 2010. 5 Comments.
Things are going great here at the Longevity Now Conference in Costa Mesa, CA and we’re only one day in.
One presentation last night in particular blew me away. Tell me, what do all the following have in common?
Broccoli- Cauliflower
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage
- Kale
- Collard Greens
- Kohlrabi
If you answered they are all cruciferous vegetables you would be right. But that’s not the only thing.
In fact, all of the above are the same species of flower!!!
Many people talk about eating a variety of foods. I even recommend it in my book 101 Simple Steps to Radiant Health.
But here you may think you’re getting lots of variety but you’d be wrong as they’re all the same plant, merely subspecies (think the difference between a Chihuahua and a Great Dane.) However there are much greater implications than just this.
I learned this as well as much more from Daniel Vitalis and that was in just one presentation.
It may be too late to attend but you can still watch it live from your computer (including unlimited replays) in the webcast they have available.
Well, I’m heading back to the event. Talk to you soon.
In health,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Health, Nutrition by on Sep 25th, 2010. Comment.
Got a great question in recently that I have been asked a number of times before regarding building strength without size. That is getting stronger but not any bigger.
Dear Logan,
I have been following your site for a couple of years now and am always impressed with what you achieve, but I have noticed one thing: Although you’ve become more muscular, you’ve never been very big. This interested me greatly, first because I have been fixated with the idea of being stronger than people bigger than me as a shot against bodybuilding in general and now because I box a little, keeping my weight down is important to me. So I ask what you think the secret is, is it your diet, is it the way you train, or is it just my dumb genetic luck that every pound I lift seems like another pound of bloated muscle?In strength (but not size),
Rory
Genetics
To start the discussion I’ll tackle genetics. I am genetically gifted in that I do not put muscle on easily. I suppose you could call me a classic hard gainer. And if you want to use big words I’m an ectomorph (while my two brothers are a mesomorph and endomorph, isn’t that odd?)
Looking my most massive
That leaves you with two options. Either give up and say I can’t do it because of genetics. Or you say ‘screw genetics’ and figure out how to accomplish your goal anyway. I’m guessing you’re in the latter group Rory, and that you do not have my genetic build.
(Isn’t it funny how we always want what we don’t have. Rory gains muscle easily but doesn’t want to. I do not, but am in the process of putting on some size currently.)
Despite your genetics there are ways to accomplish virtually any goal. I do not have to work hard to stay small but I would also attribute it to a number of things I do.
Training
To keep muscle size down keep your volume down. Use heavier weights for shorter sets and keep the overall volume short. To give you an idea a high volume day for me is usually only 30-50 reps. And most of the exercises I do are shorter than that in both reps and sets. Singles are great for strength without size.
I do higher volume with certain exercises especially in conditioning. But these exercises, like kettlebell swings, snatches and the battling ropes, don’t lend themselves to building mass, in fact they may end up doing just the opposite.
Regarding exercise selection, there are certain exercises that have a reputation for building muscle. Squats for sure. Also bench presses and rows. If you’re trying to keep size down you may want to avoid these or limit your training in them. I don’t bench, favoring putting weight overhead much more. I do squats occasionally and have just started doing rows again.
Doing more bodyweight exercises is a great way to keep your weight down while still getting stronger. If you do pullups (which I always work on) then putting muscle and weight on makes the exercise harder, not easier. In a sense you can trick your body into wanting to stay smaller.
Diet
On to nutrition and diet. By eating a more natural and healthier diet you’re likely to lose some weight. You didn’t mention your diet so I can only speculate.
Take a look at whatever you’re eating and whether or not you are adding muscle and weight currently. If you are, all you have to do is start eating less. Cut out a meal, snacks or just down on what you have at each meal. Get to the point where you stay the same size or lose weight if you choose.
That covers all the basics of how to train for strength without size. I could go into more detail but I think that should be enough to get you started.
And for anyone else that wants big strength without looking like it, deceptively strong if you will, then you can follow these same ideas.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Barbells and Dumbbells, Bodyweight Exercise, Conditioning, Nutrition, Strength Training Concepts by on Aug 10th, 2010. 10 Comments.
