6 Ways to Increase Energy with the Food You Already Eat- Part 6

The food we eat is packed with energy, but the sad part is that most of it is wasted due to the eating habits we develop growing up. Here are six ways to increase energy with the food you already eat. No fancy diets, just a different mentality for developing eating habits.

Do some cardio workouts

If you really want to pull every bit of energy from your food, try to develop a habit of doing 30 minute cardio workouts a few times a week. Or you can try an HIIT workout, and be done in about 20 minutes. That type of short exercise for athletes really boosts your body's intake capacity for your food.

Look at it this way: Food provides energy, and a high intensity cardio workout maximizes the way your body is able to process that energy and allow it to flow through your body.

During the next week, aim for a minimum of 120 minutes of cardio, spread out in about 30 minutes each day, doing it for 4 days total during the week. You don't need to go to the gym to do it either – there are plenty of bodyweight workouts that you can do right at home. 

Cardio is great for losing weight too.

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6 Ways to Increase Energy with the Food You Already Eat- Part 5

The food we eat is packed with energy, but the sad part is that most of it is wasted due to the eating habits we develop growing up. Here are six ways to increase energy with the food you already eat. No fancy diets, just a different mentality for developing eating habits.

Add protein to your breakfast

Carbohydrates can be generally broken down into two categories: Simple carbs and complex carbs. Simple carbs give you a quick rush as they are converted into sugar, and complex carbs burn more slowly. Protein is more similar to complex carbs than simple carbs, so try to add some to your breakfast for an even burn of energy throughout the day.

If you stick with sugary cereals and simple carbs, you'll get that quick "up" but it will quickly burn away and you'll be struggling to keep up your energy levels throughout the day.

Try eggs, a whole grain cereal, or a health shake to boost your early morning protein intake. If you can, cut out carbs completely. 

Also, try the Somanabolic Muscle Maximizer for energy

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6 Ways to Increase Energy with the Food You Already Eat- Part 4

The food we eat is packed with energy, but the sad part is that most of it is wasted due to the eating habits we develop growing up. Here are six ways to increase energy with the food you already eat. No fancy diets, just a different mentality for developing eating habits.

Don't eat after 7pm

Other parts of the world might be different, but most Americans tend to eat pretty late at night, and this can have a really negative effect on your energy levels. One of the most important reasons for this is that late night eating disrupts both your sleep and your digestion. At night, your body is powering down for rest. When you sleep, it needs energy to restore everything else. However, digestion by itself takes up a tremendous amount of energy, and that conflicts with everything else your body is trying to do.

Most of the time, your food will simply sit in your stomach instead of digesting, because the body is busy shunting energy over to other areas. As a result, you wake up groggy and low on energy the next morning.

For the coming seven days, try to avoid eating anything after 7pm. It's actually pretty hard to resist, but stick with it for a week, and you'll find that you get better sleep and have a huge surge in energy the following morning. 

 Now with all that extra energy, you can get into a daily workout routine

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6 Ways to Increase Energy with the Food You Already Eat- Part 3

The food we eat is packed with energy, but the sad part is that most of it is wasted due to the eating habits we develop growing up. Here are six ways to increase energy with the food you already eat. No fancy diets, just a different mentality for developing eating habits.

Increase your water intake

A surprising fact that most people don't really seem to think about is that the majority of people in the US are perpetually in a state of semi-dehydration, and the worst part is they don't even know about it. Water has a way of lubricating the systems of the body, so when it's time to start digesting after a meal, your body is ready to go.

Most people spend plenty of time drinking coffee, tea, and soda that they never stop for a glass of water. And check it out: Coffee and tea are diuretics, which means they cause you to pee more, which means an even greater loss of water.

Try to drink at least a gallon of water each and every day. It probably seems like a lot, but your body needs more water than you think. It's especially important to rehydrate in the morning, because your body is most rehydrated when you wake up.

Water can also help you lose weight

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6 Ways to Increase Energy with the Food You Already Eat- Part 2

The food we eat is packed with energy, but the sad part is that most of it is wasted due to the eating habits we develop growing up. Here are six ways to increase energy with the food you already eat. No fancy diets, just a different mentality for developing eating habits.

Take a walk right after a meal

It's incredible what a long walk can do for your digestion. The act of walking massages the stomach and sort of tumbles the food around inside there, exposing more surfaces to your digestive stomach acids.

It works like an alka seltzer. Try a little experiment: Drop one whole alka seltzer into a glass of water. In a second glass of water, crush up the pill and drop the powder in. The powder dissolves much faster because it has more exposed surface area touching the water.

A lot of Americans wonder how Europeans are so thin, even though, surprisingly, they don't actually eat much differently than us. One reason is that their culture incorporates walking into much of the daily routine, and that single activity can do a hell of a lot of good for your body.

For a week, try walking for 15 minutes after each meal and see how you feel. Enjoy the fresh air.

Walking has other health benefits too!

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6 Ways to Increase Energy with the Food You Already Eat- Part 1

The food we eat is packed with energy, but the sad part is that most of it is wasted due to the eating habits we develop growing up. Here are six ways to increase energy with the food you already eat. No fancy diets, just a different mentality for developing eating habits.

Chew More

I heard a story once about US prisoners in a German prison camp during WWII. As you may expect, they weren't getting a whole lot of food each day, so prisoners would make it a habit to chew every single bite at least 100 times. It didn't matter how small the bite was – even water – they would slowly chew it that many times.

Digestion starts with chewing – your saliva breaks down the proteins in food, which makes it more available for absorption when your stomach acid goes to work on the second phase of diestion. Most people inhale their food these days – two or three bites then down the hatch. This negates the effect of saliva, and results in more food passing through your system unabsorbed, which means the loss of valuable nutrients.

For the next week, try to chew each bite 50 times before swallowing, and then see how you feel. I guarantee you'll have more energy than ever before.

You can also increase energy with the 4 Hour Body

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HOW TO BE AWESOME! (For People Without Kids)

Wake up and don't give a fuck what time it is, then yell I DONT GIVE A FUCK!!! If that didn't wash off the shit stains from your dog pooping on your chest last night then I don't know what will. No, seriously, didn't that make you feel better? Sure made me feel better even though even one in the coffee shop is staring at me for a good five seconds. I encouraged them to say it but bleh who needs them. Okay get up, take a bath if you normally take shower and vice versa if you normally take a bath. Make the water almost unbearably hot, soak it in, its your day off. Then put on way too much cologne/perfume, so much to the point where you smell like a French Whore or a homeless guy who spends his spare change on moonshine. No offense French Whores if you can read English and you homeless guys, lol, your homeless, you don't have a computer sphhhhh. Okay, I am rambling, that's what 4 large mochas will do for you!!!!!!!!!!! O yeah, to be AWESOME drink a lot of coffee, you will be hyped up. I mean, really ready to not give a fuck. You will be so prepared for that and awesomeness. Then go find Waldo because that fucker is always hiding in a crowd, move through the crowd like your the protagonist of Assassin's Creed.

(VIDEO)

[Editor's note: I'm not adding a video to this...]

To Be Continued.... Dunh Duh DUNNNNNNN!!!!! (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE LATE RYAN DUNN, LOVE YOU BRO) O YEAH, USE ALL CAPS IF YOUR TYPING SOMETHING BECAUSE EVERYONE THINKS YOUR BEING LOUD AND OBNOXIOUS. IF WE WERE FACE TO FACE YOUR ONLY RESPONSE WOULD BE, YES DRILL SARGEANT!!!! MAN, THE EXCLAMATIONS LOSE THEIR EFFECT I'M YELLING SO LOUD. I'M GONNA HIDE A LEMON-PINEAPPLE TREASURE INSIDE OF LIAM NEESON, I DARE YOU TO TAKE THAT FROM HIM BITCH/BASTARD!!!!

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Progressive Blaster Sets for Back Strength

In an earlier post I talked about a personal routine I use called progressive blaster sets for arm strength, where the focus is on dumbbell curves. This is extremely powerful for building arm muscle, but here's a variation using T-bar rows that will work your back and shoulders into shape.

Start with two 45lb weights and do 10 reps. Then make it three 45lb weights. Keep building this up until you have six 45lb plates, doing 10 reps each time and resting 5 seconds in between each weight addition.

When you get to six plates, start working your way back down to two plates again. Once you get to two, you've done one set. Aim for 2 or 3 sets each time.

I want to note that you should be alternating these each week. So week one do the arm exercises, week two do the T-bar rows, week three maybe go for power squats. This makes it harder to overtrain a specific part of your body, mixing it up each week.

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Top 10 Workouts for Muscle Mass- #10 Calf Press

Calf Press

In terms of sheer bulk, calf exercises usually rank pretty low on the list. I'm throwing this one in at number 10 because I want to provide options for all the important muscles. A lot of bodybuilders focus solely on their upper body while neglecting lower body, but this really gives you a disproportionate look.

None of the other workouts for muscle mass in this list (except possibly the clean) put any kind of real strain on the calves. My favorite way to bulk up the calves is a simple standing calf raise using weights on your shoulders.

This is a really simple routine that should start giving you results within a few weeks. Genetics can be to blame for small calf muscles, but I have personally found that even that can be overcome through consistency and the right workouts.

Hopefully you have enjoyed this series of posts on the best workouts for muscle mass! Check back tomorrow for another great workout article.

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Top 10 Workouts for Muscle Mass- #9 Bicep Curl

Bicep Curl

If you're just doing dips, you're going to develop a lot of mass in your biceps, but it helps to even that out a little bit. For that, the bicep curl is one of your best bets. This builds up your biceps, yes, but it also works a lot on your forearms, which you don't get as much of with dips.

There are a lot of different ways to do bicep curls, but my favorite is the standing bicep curl with a barbell. Dumbbells can be used too for alternating reps, but for simplicity I usually stick to a barbell. I use a medium grip with my palms facing upward.

There isn't really a whole lot that I can say about this workout for muscle mass that you won't already know, just try to go for a full range of motion without bringing your arms down completely straight. Try to keep an angle in your elbows at all times. 

Exercises for athletes

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Top 10 Workouts for Muscle Mass- #8 Dips

Dips

Every workout has its ups and downs (groan...), but nothing has more than dips. That sentence is also why I'm a bodybuilder and not a comedian. But being serious, there are some advantages and disadvantages to dips, but it's absolutely the best thing around for building mass in your triceps.

Another benefit of dips is that they use multiple joints- wrists, elbows, and shoulders- and this can strengthen them to allow you to push more weight in your bench presses. Since this is essentially a bodyweight exercise, it's never going to be as popular as anything else. The dip bar at the gym won't be drawing a huge crowd, but another great thing is that you can really do it anywhere. Set two chairs up in your home back to back and dip in between them.

If you're not feeling the burn, try adding weight to the movement. You can do this with the chin up as well to get some extra muscle from a very simple exercise.

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Top 10 Workouts for Muscle Mass- #7 Bent Over Rows

Bent Over Rows

This is Nostalgia Avenue for me right now. Bent over rows are just one more of the dozens of workouts that aren't usually seen in gyms anymore, at least in my experience. These days we have row machines with pulleys, which I'll admit are much more practical, but back in the day this exercise was one of the only ways to get a good horizontal movement.

If you're stuck on using free weights like me or are trying to do these workouts for muscle mass in your home gym, all you need for the bent over row is a bar with weights. The best form is to bend your knees slightly and lean forward while keeping your back straight. Now pull the bar up towards your chest.

Think of it as sitting in a rowing machine, but flipping it up on its feet so you're actually standing up while doing the motion. Obviously this won't build as much mass as some of the other exercises on this list, but it's a fantastic variation that's going to do a lot of good for your back.

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Top 10 Workouts for Muscle Mass- #6 Shoulder Press

Shoulder Press

This workout comes in a couple different names just like the chin up, but they're all talking about the same workout for muscle mass. One of the more common names these days in the military press, but again—they're the same thing!

No matter what it's called, the movement is still the same: You push a bar straight up over your head. I prefer using bars on this because it gives you a bi-lateral workout- weight on the way up, weight on the way down. Unilateral movements are fine too, but I don't see them as being quite as functional as a bi-lateral movement.

Now, for building mass, I prefer the seated shoulder press because it lets you concentrate more on your arms and less on your legs and balance. It is absolutely phenomenal for sheer bulk and shoulder strength.

Don't believe me, go give it a try for a few weeks and see how your shoulders are looking. I've got a few split workouts on this site that utilize the overhead shoulder press if you want a full routine.

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Top 10 Workouts for Muscle Mass- #5 Chin Ups

Chin Ups

When you want a workout for muscle mass in the lats, you would be hard pressed to find something that can trump the basic chin up. You may call them pullups, pull ups, or whatever, but it's all the same thing- the bar doesn't move—YOU move.

Now, you may be thinking that the lat pull down is the exact same thing, and yes, the motion is quite similar. However, for whatever reason, chin ups seem to offer a more effective mass building routine than lat pull downs. There's some science behind it, but the important thing is that you are better off with a stationary pull up bar.

Here's another advantage- you probably won't have to compete with a lot of other people at the gym to use the chin up bar. Since most people are going to be sticking to either free weights or machines, there's not a whole lot of demand for this lonely little bar anymore.

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Top 10 Workouts for Muscle Mass- #4 The Clean

The Clean

This exercise comes in at number 4 not because it's less effective, but mainly because I really wanted to talk about some upper body workouts first, because that is what most people think of when they want workouts for muscle mass.

Now, as far as all around muscle mass goes, the clean isn't really anything special. It involves a deadlift, but since you will continue to raise the bar over your head, you can't feasibly lift as much weight as you would be able to with a pure deadlift set.

However, I'm including it because it is phenomenal for upper back strength. There is really no other exercise out there that works your upper back like the clean. I mean, maybe the snatch lift, but the clean is a little easier to figure out.

If you don't believe me, look at Olympic power lifters, and pay attention to their upper back muscles. Now go to your gym and see if anybody's back looks even close to that. This is because, like the deadlift, fewer and fewer people are incorporating cleans into their workout routines, and they're not building that incredible upper back strength as a result.

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Top 10 Workouts for Muscle Mass- #3 Bench Press

Bench Press

So far we've been talking about some pretty basic exercises, but I feel it's important to get those out of the way because I don't want any misconceptions about the basics. They're the most popular ones for the simple reason that really, they are the best. You can have as many variations as you want to target different muscle groups, but it all stems from the one basic workout.

So the bench press. There are a lot of people in the bodybuilding community right now who aren't on board with the idea of the bench press anymore. They say it's not functional. They say going full range is dangerous. For some people, this may be true. However, it still stands as one of the best workouts for muscle mass out there. As long as you are coupling it with other workouts (because why wouldn't you), there is absolutely nothing wrong with incorporating the bench press into your workout.

This is how weight lifters have been gaining strength for decades.

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Top 10 Workouts for Muscle Mass- #2 Squats

Squats

Yep, here it is. I know you were all waiting to see this one on the list. Something like 70% (a little less I think) of all your muscle mass comes from heavy squats.

I want to clear something up though- by saying squat right now I mean the back squat, which in my mind is the true squat. This is with the bar resting on your shoulders, lifting with your legs and stabilizing with your core.

Front squats are fantastic too, don't get me wrong, and for the most part they're going to give you the same muscle building benefits, but when I break down the serious BEST workouts for muscle mass, I don't think much can beat the back squat.

A quick note, just make sure you're using a spotter. While being one of the best exercises out there, it's also one of the most dangerous, and a lot of injuries can come from doing it wrong. So make sure there's someone else there in the gym with you, especially for higher weight sets.

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Top 10 Workouts for Muscle Mass- #1 Deadlifts

Deadlifts

When somebody asks me what my favorite exercise for sheer, unadulterated bulk is, I always say deadlifts. I don't mean variations either, like the stiff leg deadlift. I mean the one where your knees are bent and you are ripping that weight straight off the floor, gravity be damned!

The next entry is about squats, which shouldn't surprise you as one of the best workouts for mass, but I wanted to list the deadlift first because I feel like fewer people try to use it in their workout routines. I'd very much like to raise awareness of this powerful workout in the bodybuilding community, because even though everybody knows about it, you just don't see it in gyms as much as you used to.

The deadlift is great because it gives you real core strength in addition to strengthening your arms, shoulder, and legs. It really hits your whole body in some way if you're doing it right.

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Top 10 Workouts for Muscle Mass- Introduction

Size does matter.

The bodybuilding community is all about size, but a lot of people like to say that size doesn't really matter. I'm personally in the camp that thinks functional strength is the most important thing, but I also know that mass is definitely important as well. After all, we all want to look good.

So what do I mean by mass? I mean that nobody would be asking you if you work out. It should be obvious just from looking at the way you fit into your shirt. If we're building for mass, we need to work on the core muscles. Core muscles give the impression of size, while peripheral muscles are much smaller, but contribute to that overall "toned" look of muscles ripping out of every part of you.

For the next ten days, we're going to be looking at the top 10 workouts for muscle mass. Some of them are obvious, but some might be a little surprising. Check back tomorrow for #1.

And take a look at the Fat Loss Factor review in the meantime.

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4 Day Split for a Full Body Workout

Here's another split workout that I haven't been using recently, but it's something I found in an old notebook from about 3 years ago, and I remember having great results with it. It's a 4 day split, so each muscle group gets one day.

We start with the abs and legs on day one...

Abs and Legs Workout

Calf raises- 4 sets of 8

Leg curls- 3 sets of 8

Straight legged deadlift- 4 sets of 6

Leg presses- 4 sets of 8

Squats- 4 sets of 8

Triceps and Chest Workout

Dips- 3 sets of 8

Skullcrushers- 3 sets of 8

Close grip bench press- 3 sets of 8

Leaning forward weighted dips- 4 sets of 8

Flat BB bench press- 4 sets of 6

Incline DB flies- 4 sets of 8

Biceps and Back Workout

DB hammer curl- 4 sets of 8

BB bicep curl- 4 sets of 6

One arm DB rows- 4 sets of 8

Close grip chins- 3 sets of 8

Wide grip chins- 3 sets of 8

Deadlifts- 4 sets of 6

Traps, Deltoids, and Forearm Workout

DB shrugs- 3 sets of 15

BB shrugs- 3 sets of 6

DB press- 4 sets of 6

Side laterals- 3 sets of 8

Behind the back BB raises- 3 sets of 15

Bent over raises- 3 sets of 8

This is a fantastic full body workout split. Give it a try.

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Winter Splits- A Full Body Workout

Well, winter is upon us, and we need to keep that blood flowing! I put together a full body workout here using basic splits that will keep that winter chill out and work on every muscle in the body.

I'm doing this routine three times a week for a period of two weeks using moderate weights. If this seems a little light go with heavier weight. Go for a two week cycle where every two weeks you increase the weight for each rep.

Monday- Shoulders and Legs Workout

Leg curls- 3 sets of 10

Squats- 5 sets of 12

Calf raises- 3 sets of 12

DB side laterals- 2 sets of 12

DB bent over raises- 2 sets of 12

Seated DB military press- 4 sets of 8

Wednesday- Traps, Biceps, and Chest Workout

Incline DB press- 4 sets of 10

Cable crossovers- 3 sets of 12

Flat DB press- 4 sets of 8

EZ bar curls- 4 sets of 8

DB shruhgs- 3 sets of 12

Alternating hammer curls- 2 sets of 8 per arm

Friday- Triceps and Back Workout

Lat pulldowns- 4 sets of 8

Deadlifts- 5 sets of 10

Skullcrushers- 4 sets of 8

Bent over EZ bar rows- 3 sets of 10

Rope pushdowns- 2 sets of 12

It's a great muscle blasting full body workout for these cold winter months.

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Rock Climbing in Grayson Highlands State Park

Hey everybody. If you follow the blog at all, you may be aware that rock climbing exercises make up a large part of my exercise routine. I've talked about it plenty of times, and I just wanted to quickly relate my recent adventures: Bouldering in Grayson Highlands State Park, in Virginia.

I spent 2 days up there recently with a climbing buddy, camping, drinking, and having a great time. If you're ever in the area, check it out. The park is actually the first place to recognize bouldering as a sport, which is great headway for the "activity" (as it's usually called, and not the prestigious "sport").

A few highlights from the trip:

Massie Gap

While we were up there the moon was only a few days away from being full, which gave us a lot of light for a midnight bouldering excursion up Massie Gap, near the Rhodedendron Trail, which connects to the Appalachian Trail. The view was incredible, the problems were intense, and hey, we saw some wild ponies! So that was pretty sweet.

Listening Rock Trail Loop (LRT)

The top part of this 1.4 mile trail is lined with some of the best bouldering spots on the mountain. We spent the entire day there, so unfortunately didn't have time to check out any of the other trails, such as the Boneyard, which I hear has fantastic spots.

Here's a video of Aaron Parlier bouldering it up in Grayson Highlands:

Parlier's Project from Dan Caudill on Vimeo.

Take a look at the Muscle Maximizer

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Progressive Blaster Sets for Arm Strength

I've been using a certain technique that I've shown to a couple friends, and let me just say they hate me because of that. Basically, it's a pretty simple progressive rep workout that works on biceps and shoulders, although the concept can be carried over to any body part.

I use this as a finishing exercise in my workout to max out my arm muscles, two times a week.

Okay, so this example is arms:

Start with alternating dumbbell curls with between 40 and 70lbs (do 20-60 if you have trouble with that weight. The goal is for max weight though).

Stamina 05-2150P 50 lb Versa Bell II - Pair (Google Affiliate Ad)

Do 10 reps with each arm with 40lbs. Rest for 5 seconds and then do 10 with 45lbs. Keep moving up in 5lb increments until you hit 70lbs. Once you get that high your reps may be closer to 6 or 8, but push for 10 as long as possible.

After 70lbs, bring it all the way back down to 40lbs again.

That's one set!

Shoot for 2-3 sets if you can, and push those arm muscles as hard as humanly possible!

 Somanabolic Muscle Maximizer review

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New Years Resolutions for Fitness?

Do you guys have any New Years resolutions? You should! Post in the comments what your resolutions are, and we'll be back with a list of some of the top resolutions for 2013.

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