You Will Never Become A Champion Bodybuilder If You Have Children…

I have to be honest with you.  If you become a parent, it will be close to impossible to become a champion athlete.

Don’t get me wrong; you can get in great shape.  This is my shape from this past summer:

You can still get in good shape, but you definitely cannot train and diet at 110%.

Some examples?

I used to run 3-miles on a summer morning in Coney Island, starve myself for about 12-14 hours, eat a can of tuna fish, then go drinking all night with my friends.

Those days are OVER.

10 years ago I would sleep till 12 noon, then go for a 6-mile run with my Russian friend in 15-degree weather.

Now? I am up at 7:30.

Diet? Forget it.  My son typically eats about half his dinner. Guess who is finishing it? Daddy.

Half a waffle, half a cookie, half a slice of pizza, etc. It starts to add up.

But there are ways to work around it.

Weights are ALWAYS done at lunch.  I lift 4 or 5x a week at lunch during my work week.

Cardio? This is the hard one.

I take my son to the park almost everyday in nice weather, and it is a decent workout. But when you try to run 3-miles hard or do sprints Before/After the park, its tiring.

Same with trying to run during his nap.  When you come back from your workout, expect to get no rest at all because he will be waking up.

Overall, there is no major excuse to not workout when you have kids.  Just don’t except to beat someone who has unlimited free time and a similar work ethic.

-John Andre

Check out my books on amazon.com!

Lift Heavy/Run Fast

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Do You Want To Get Cut Young Man? It’s Either A Needle In Your Ass Or Cardio…

I don’t care what anybody says, you need “SOME” form of cardio in your life.

Unless you do physical work for a living, cardio should be a part of every person’s routine.

Without cardio, I do not get super cut.

Don’t get me wrong, about 80% of getting cut is from your diet.  But the final 20% is what separates the men from the boys.

Cardio is a funny thing.  A right amount of cardio really helps, but too much and you will look terrible.

For example, I think marathon runners have the worst looking bodies in the world.  There is nothing natural or healthy with running those insanely long distances.

I don’t have a problem with someone running it for sport, I ran the Brooklyn half-marathon several years back, but just don’t expect to lose body fat or become healthier.

The healthiest type of cardio training will be short and quick.  That would be basketball, football, lacrosse, tennis, soccer and track and field.

Short, quick, movements.

I see a lot of guys in the gym that really have their weight training down.  They are benching heavy, curling strong, squatting deep, etc.

But their cardio isn’t done correctly at all.

I am ready to fix that problem.

Coming Jan 1st.

(Bloggers, email me for a free review copy : )

You Can’t Stay Super Lean All Year Unless You Want A Heart Attack…

Getting lean is the name of the game.

Let’s face it, you can bulk up all that you want.  Unless you are powerlifting or playing football, nobody is going to care how much you lift when you step on to the beach. (Although it does help to build muscle)

And it’s also not healthy to be overweight, regardless of muscle size.  And steroids are generally bad for you.

I can get myself very lean every summer.  After years of experience, I have gotten that down to a science.

But one thing that I cannot do, is I cannot stay super lean all year long.

I can stay relatively lean, but, I don’t know anyone can stay at the same body fat percentage for 365 days a year.

First of all, you should be peaking in your cardio at some point.  Meaning, you should be running your hardest and fastest at some point in the year.

If you aren’t, then you haven’t peaked yet.

You also can’t do sprints for 365 days in a row.  Every major sport; football, soccer, basketball, etc, has an “off-season.”  You need a period to recover both mentally and physically.

The only way to stay lean all year, would to lift, run and eat the exact same amount.

Not only does that sound impossible, but with that method, I can’t see you ever improving.

How will you add muscle?

Unless you can miraculously improve your intensity, you aren’t going to add any muscle without some extra calories.

We will see how lean I get this summer, but for now, back to my bulk up season.

-John Andre

Check out my books on amazon.com!

Lift Heavy/Run Fast

How To Make Improvements Between Ages 35-50…

For some reason, I get the most traffic to my blog when I talk about training for the 35+ crowd.

But let’s be honest, 35-50 it not old anymore.

If you train hard and consistently, you should be able to stay rock solid all the way until your 60’s.

That’s not to say there aren’t any differences between working out at age 21 and working out at 47.

Obviously as you get older you need to deal with injuries, shorter recovery time, etc.  But there are actually some training benefits of being age 35+.

First of all, at age 38 I am still pretty strong.   My all-time deadlift record is 585 lbs when I was 27 years old and I weighed around 205 lbs.

Now that I am about to turn 39, I am deadlifting in the low 500’s at only 170 lbs.

My diet is also a lot better.  In my 20’s I would basically just eat and keep eating.  It wasn’t until I was in my late 20’s and early 30’s, that I actually started to diet, add intermittent fasting and proper cardio.

I also just started competing in track and field again after a 20 year layoff.  I only did the long jump so far, and I am curious to see how fast I can run in 2019 compared to when I was in High School/College.

To be honest with you, sometimes I have a strong week of working out and I feel like I shouldn’t even care how old I am.

There isn’t really that much of a difference.

Just train smarter, eat cleaner and you can stay pretty jacked.

Statistically, I know I am already better than last year.  In 2017 I deadlifted 515lb’s at 185lbs in bodyweight,.  This year I think I will probably go over 545 lbs at 175.

Basically, I am lifting heavier weights at a lighter bodyweight.

That is progress.

This year has been going very solid for me.  My bulk up is going to end on February 1st and already I am about to beat last season’s deadlift and squat records.

Bench press I am slightly behind last year, but that is because my training partner quit (again).  It’s hard to bench heavy when you don’t have a steady spotter.

So overall, don’t worry about your age.

Lift heavy, train smart, eat healthy and add some fast cardio.

50 will become the new 30 and 60 will become the new 40.

-John Andre

Check out my books on amazon.com!

Lift Heavy/Run Fast

Study All You Want. If If Doesn’t Work, Quit. Mick Jagger Still Can’t Play Guitar…

Life is short.

Or maybe it isn’t.  I feel like the first 20 years of my life took forever, my 20’s were pretty long and now my 30’s feel like they only lasted 3-4 years.

Time is starting to speed up.  Is that because I am so busy? Possibly.

I figure at age 40 I am halfway to death, although, all of my grandparents made into their 80’s.

If there is one thing I have learned over my “soon to be 39 years” on this planet, is that if something is not working, quit.

If you gave it a legitimate effort and it’s not working out, stop jerking yourself around and wasting your time.

• If you job doesn’t fulfill you, start looking for something else.
• If your girlfriend isn’t treating you right, dump her.
• Do you hate your commute? Move.
• Are your friends idiots? Find a new crew.

It would seem like these are such obvious answers, but then you meet people who are dating the same guy for 8 years in a row.

Or someone who has a 2 hour commute and continues to complain year after year.

The same goes for business and bodybuilding.

If the flat bench is not making your chest explode, switch it up.  Try inclines, add a second day of dumbbells, try some fly’s or pec decks.

There are so many different options, that something has to work.

So what does this have to do with Mick Jagger?

Mick Jagger has been best friends with Keith Richards for about 65 years.  I was watching a video of Mick from last week and although he can play guitar “OK”, he still isn’t great.

Think about it, your BEST FRIEND is possibly one of the top ten guitar players of all time history and you still stink.

65 years of FREE lessons with a top ten guitar player and you are still just “OK”.

But in all reality, the lessons don’t matter.

You can either play or you can’t.

You can grow up living next to Lebron James and you still can’t shoot a foul shot.

It really doesn’t matter.

Mick is a better singer obviously and thank god he figured that out early and kept Keith Richards on the guitars.

Use that as a lesson in life.

What are you good at? And what comes to you NATURALLY?

Maybe you can’t teach, but you can become a lawyer.

Maybe you can’t dead lift, but you can squat.

Maybe Irish girls tend to like you and Italian girls don’t.

Peanut butter makes you ripped but creatine makes you look bloated.

Don’t fight nature.  Figure out what you are good at and what you are bad at.

Here ends the Sunday sermon.

-John Andre

Check out my books on amazon.com!

Lift Heavy/Run Fast

Are You 35+ And You Don’t Workout? You Will Die…

I cant believe it, but I am actually going to turn 39-years old next month.

Its funny, but I remember my father turning 40 years old and thinking that he was ancient.

Now, I am almost there.

Physically, there hasn’t been that many major changes since I was 18.  I am definitely slower and my joints hurt more, but I am probably stronger and my stamina is greater.

I also don’t get to sleep past 7 a.m with an infant at home and my hangovers last for 2 days instead of 1.

Since I have never stopped working out, I have been able to maintain a strong physique.  I am still benching over 300 lb’s and deadlifting over 500, and I can also run 3 miles in 21 minutes.

But if I didn’t work out, I would be in big trouble.

During last years bulk up, I noticed that I got way too fat.  In just 5 months of skipping out on cardio, I started to feel morbidly obese.  I started to find it difficult to complete basic day to day tasks like taking out the garbage and even walking up stairs.

Let’s face it, that is how most people live in this country.

If you cant see your abs, run a mile under 8 minutes, or climb stairs going to work; you are slowly dying.

If you don’t have any energy because you have the testosterone level of a teenage girl, you are in trouble.

If you hairline is receding, your back is getting hairy and your teeth are starting to rot.

You are on the fast track to death.

You won’t even make it to your life expectancy of 78.

You are not the only one, a lot of people in our generation won’t.

Wake up.

-John Andre

Check out my books on amazon.com!

Lift Heavy/Run Fast

Can You Do Cardio While Bulking Up?

This is a tricky question, but the answer for me is surprisingly yes. (With some disclaimers)

If I am going for an all-time record, especially with squats, then it helps to avoid any cardio.

But if I am just powerlifting and trying for records, I will eventually start to look fat.

And that is not healthy.

When it comes to bench press, sometimes a little cardio actually helps.

For years I have been having shoulder issues and it’s only in the last 2 years that I have been able to overcome it.

Part of my new shoulder routine is to add just a “little” bit of cardio after bench pressing. The repetitive movements in my arms actually help to loosen me up.

When it comes to the deadlift, I can go either way. The cardio helps with completing more reps and as a result harder training sessions, but may hurt me just a little bit with my one-rep max.

Overall, even though it may hurt you slightly with your heavy lifting, I highly recommend that you add just a little bit of cardio to your routine, even during your bulkup.

Unless you are competing in powerlifting competitions, the loss of power should be neglibible. When I am increasing the calories, I will start to get stronger every week regardless of the cardio I do.

Just don’t go too crazy. Right now I am doing 15 minutes, twice a week, on the stairmaster.

That’s it.

Especially for guys like me that are in their late 30’s, nobody needs an early heart attack and cardio is important.

And if you aren’t working out in your late 30’s, good luck, but things are about to go downhill quickly for you. Get smart.

-John Andre

Check out my books on amazon.com…

Lift Heavy/Run Fast

Can I Deadlift 600 This Year? Why Not? Powerlifting Equals Muscle…

I am having a surprisingly good bulk up this year.

Although I am only several weeks in, I have already deadlifted 405 for 6 easy reps and I am on pace to hit 500 in October.

I almost always reach 500 lb’s in the deadlift, but to reach it in October is VERY early for me.

Usually I will reach 500 around Christmas and then I will max out in late January/Early February.

Dead lifting is a great exercise and it is also one of the most basic.  You just bend down and pick up a weight.

You don’t need a spot. You don’t need any friends.

It’s just you and the bar.

Like I stated in the title, it is almost impossible to put on any solid muscle if you aren’t lifting heavy weights, especially powerlifting.

Many of the famous bodybuilders started off  using powerlifting, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sergio Oliva and Ronnie Coleman.

There just isn’t any substitute for heavy lifting.

I have always been a pretty good deadlifter and my record was 585 lb’s in my late 20’s.

I “think” I have a serious chance of beating that this year.

The last several years I have been maxing in the low 500 lb’s and this year I am almost there in October.

If I can get into the mid 500’s pretty fast, I am going to give it shot.

I plan on bulking up until Valentine’s day, so I would like to attempt it before then.

Good luck!

-John Andre

Check out my book on amazon.com! Book 3 is coming out soon!

Lift Heavy/Run Fast

 

 

My Season Is Over. Bulk Up Starting Oct 1st. New Theme “Back To Basics”…

It’s official. My season is over.

Overall, I had a pretty good year, but not outstanding.  In a couple days I will publish my annual review, along with some pictures.

My theme for next year is “Back to basics”.  And what I mean by that is, I want to cut out the bullshit.

Clean eating, with a lot of eggs, water and tuna fish.

Super heavy lifting, with deadlifts over 500 at a minimum and hopefully bench press in the mid 300’s.

And I need to continue my progress in squatting.  I “should” be able to beat last year’s squats pretty easily.

Regarding cardio, I am going to do a minimal amount until New Year’s Eve.  I feel that my body needs a serious rest from the cardio, but not for too long.

Last year I took off a solid 6 months and I think in the long run it hurt me.

You don’t need to do cardio 100% all year long, but you need to do something.

My preliminary workout is going to looks something like this:

Monday: Chest/bicep

Tuesday: Legs/cardio/abs

Wends: Rest

Thurs: Chest#2/Shoulders

Friday: Deadlift/Back/Abs/Cardio

Sat/Sun: rest/light cardio

My goal is to avoid looking in the mirror for a while but focus on hitting big numbers.  I want to eat a lot cleaner than last year and hopefully only put on “lean muscle”.

Overall, I had an injury-free year, so I “should” be able to hit some decent numbers this Fall.

Wish me luck.

-John Andre

Check out my book on amazon.com! Book 3 is coming out soon!

Lift Heavy/Run Fast

Steroids In Your Late 30’s/Early 40’s Can Turn You Into Superman…

I know that most normal people do not follow the Mr. Olympia, but the annual event was held last week and the new champion is 43 years old!

(Shawn Rhoden)

And, it is also the first time he has ever won…

Although that would seem to be an old age to become a first time champion, being a competitive bodybuilder over age 40 is not uncommon at all.   If anything, most bodybuilders peak at ages 35-45 years old.

Although a 40-year old man or woman might not recover like an 18-year old will, it’s hard for a young person to defeat someone in bodybuilding that has been lifting heavy weights for 20+ years.

There is a certain size and density level in muscle that you just can’t build in a short time period and that is why you have a lot of older bodybuilders.

When I saw the recent Mr. Olympia champion, it immediately reminded me of Roger Clemens when he was on the Yankees.

When Roger was pitching for the Yankees he was in his late 30’s/early 40’s and unlike most players his age, he was having a career resurgence.

Same with Barry Bonds.

I am assuming they were both using steroids, along with the Mr. Olympia competitors.

When you combine years of hard training, along with extra testosterone, it is really hard to beat.

You have the recovery time of the younger players plus the strength and experience of being an older athlete.

It is really the best of both worlds.

Although I have never taken steroids and most likely will not, I thought about how they would really help me at this age.

At 38, there are days were I can barely roll out of bed and the cardio sessions in the Summer are really starting to drag.

I don’t recover like I used to, yet, I am still as strong as a bull.

I was deadlifting over 500 lbs like it was nothing this winter, my bench press was back over 315 and generally I was one of the stronger guys in the gym.

I am still strong, just don’t have as much energy.

On a personal note, the summer is slowly coming to a close and I am going to start my power training on Oct 1st.

I will write out my training plan soon, with a main focus on bulking up “cleaner” this year.

Hopefully I will peak in my 40’s.

-John Andre

Check out my book on amazon.com! Book 3 is coming out soon!