I was recently introduced to what may have been the most inspiring fitness documentary I have seen to date (and believe me I have seen them all). This documentary is titled “I want to look like that guy”. This film follows an “average Joe” on his journey to discover what it really takes to look like the guys on the fitness magazine covers.
What better way to look like a fitness model than to train like a fitness model right? This is why he hired IFBB pro Jeff Willet to help him with his transformation. What Stuart (MacDonald) discovers on his journey to a ripped six pack is shocking. And even more shocking than his discovery is his physical transformation. Over 40 years of age with a close to 30% body fat, Stuart manages to build a noticeable amount of drug free muscle mass while cutting down to a razor sharp 6% body fat with a simple diet and even simpler exercise plan… oh and did I mention this all happened in about 6 months?
I was so inspired by Stuart’s story that I had to share it with you guys. Before I just wrote a quick post about the film in hopes that you guys would check it out, I decided to reach out to Stuart and see if he would be interested in doing an interview. To my surprise, I was able to contact him and he was nice enough to let me conduct an interview. So without further adieu, let’s find out how this “average Joe” managed to transform his physique and look like the guys in the muscle mags without steroids or any dangerous drugs.
“I want to look like that guy” – Stuart Macdonald Interview
Stuart, can you tell me a little about yourself and what really pushed you to want to get a body like “the guy” in the fitness magazines?
Stuart: I’m a filmmaker and have been for the past 13 years. I’ve made about 300 commercials and corporate videos plus a short movie drama. I’m also into fitness. When the idea for the documentary struck I was struggling with my weight and thought about making a movie about my progress. The concept for the movie came out of pure curiosity. I did see the movie “Supersize Me” and thought it was great. That documentary was followed by others of the same kind of topic but no one was attempting something extraordinarily hard. That being said, I started a quest to explore what it takes to achieve the ideal body we are all sold when buying fitness products. The best part about my research showed me was that everyone has been affected by unrealistic expectations found in nearly every marketing piece I came across. The magazines with the guy or woman with chiseled abs on the cover or the perfect looking fitness model on TV telling you that “this product got me this incredible body in just 4-6 weeks!” The marketing these products use to back their products is like a perpetual money motion machine. They don’t work so the customer tries the next new “thing” and the cycle starts over. It’s basically an industry that’s selling snake oil on a scale so huge nothing can stop it. The only “out” these fitness and diet products have is the legal ease found deep in the fine print. “Results may vary, best if combined with diet and exercise.” The bold and large print on the label tells the consumer that the product will make you lose more weight in less time or cause your muscles to grow faster than any other method. To me, that’s fraud. People struggling with weight problems need an easy plan based on science and physiology NOT gimmicks. I also found the worst violations are the photos of the bodybuilders on steroids in photographs for supplements telling consumers that the product they use will give you HUGE gains, more power and lift heavier. The perceived result is that you’ll look like that guy in the photo, but you can’t unless you take steroids and trim down to 3 or 4% body fat, a very risky level that’s incredibly hard to maintain. The last sentence is really the thrust of the movie. The photo of fitness models is usually taken after months of dieting or in the case of bodybuilder’s right before or after a competition. No one is telling the world the reality of what it takes to look like that, until now.
When it comes to training your back, it is important that you target the different areas. There is the upper back which consists of mainly the traps. Then there is the mid back which consists of the rhomboids. Finally there is the lower lats or latissimus dorsi. In order to perform an entire back workout, you must train with different grips or hand positions in order to attack the target area of the back muscles.
I personally am one to train the entire back on “back day” because I feel it is what works best for me. Others may train upper back and mid back one day, then lats on another day. Some may even train mid and lats and leave traps for another day. Either way you go, you will develop an awesome back as long as you know what you are training as opposed to just walking in the gym and just “doing back”.
Here is one of my personal full back and lat workouts for size and strength:
Note: I personally like to warm up with a few sets of pull ups, you can warm up as you find fit for you. Typically I recommend warming up the muscle that you are going to train.
Most of us have probably fallen victim to holiday weight gain. This time of year is all about the four “F’s”… family, friends, fitness, and finances. It is the time of year where everyone gathers around their friends and family to enjoy amazing (not so healthy) food. For the most part, this is accompanied by financial stress from all of the holiday shopping. We all know how much stress can contribute to weight gain especially when surrounded by all of this awesome food. So today I am going to give you all a little treat. I am going to give you three simple tips you can start using today to get that holiday weight off and be on your journey to a ripped six pack.
Fat Burning Tip #1: Carbohydrate Timing
You might hear about these ridiculous diets that require you to drastically reduce your carbs and some may even have you eliminate them all together. If you have tried any of these, you can agree that they not only make you a grump and don’t allow you to work as well, but these side effects make them impossible to stay on for more than a short period of time. This is why I recommend about 40-45% of your calories come from carbohydrates (Complex carbs)…only you will time them in a way that will provide optimal fat loss without feeling like complete shit.
The only time we NEED carbohydrates are a couple of hours before our workout and for about 3 hours following our workout. Any other time and they are completely useless. You see, unless you are training first thing in the morning, your breakfast should consist of only protein and natural fats. The “meat and nuts breakfast” is not only a great way to avoid an insulin spike in the morning after a 7-9 hour fast, but it also regulates your blood sugar levels and increases energy and mental focus.
Daily Meal Example: Meal 1: Protein and Fats Meal 2: Protein and Carbs – Pre workout meal Meal 3: Protein and Carbs – Post workout meal (0-15 Minutes Post Workout) Meal 4: Protein, Carbs, and Fish Oils (45 Minutes Follow Post Workout Meal) Meal 5: Protein, Carbs, and Fish Oils (3 Hours Following Meal 4) Meal 6: Protein, 1 cup of veggies, fats (avocado, olive oil, mixed nuts)
Are you convinced that it is impossible for you to gain weight due to your skinny genetics?
Do you feel like no matter how much you train and how much you eat, you can’t gain size?
Well if you know my story, you know that I struggled with the same issues in my young adult life. No matter how much I worked out…no matter how much I ate…no matter how much protein shakes I consumed…I could never manage to put on any muscle.
This was until I started following the laws…the laws of building muscle for skinny guys.
1. ABC – Always Be Consuming
The best advice I could give any hardgainer is… “You have to eat more.” Building size is actually quite simple. Consume more calories than you burn and the needle on the scale will move (unless you use a digital one, then the numbers will simply increase). Problem with this advice is that most people just say “I already eat enough”. But the fact is you don’t. Most people typically consume about 15-17 times their bodyweight in calories. As someone with a naturally lightning fast metabolism who works out 4-5 days a week, this is just not enough. Someone of our body type who trains that often will need at least 20 times their bodyweight in calories CONSISTENTLY. Keeping your body in this type of a surplus will ensure that there are always sufficient nutrients available when needed. Failing to meet your caloric requirements for just one day can be a huge set back.
2. Train the lower body equal to the upper body
As hardgainers, we must rely more on anabolic hormones and less on “show muscles”. Not training one of the largest muscle groups on your body (legs) is sabotaging your ability to maximize overall muscle growth. “Leg day” is the biggest igniter of “the mother of all muscle building hormones” and should never be skipped for biceps and chest.
3. Focus on the workouts that count
Our objective in the gym should always be to recruit more motor units, more muscle fibers, and release more muscle building hormones. The best way to make sure we are achieving this is, start off all of your training sessions with big compound workouts. These workouts are strenuous and target more than one muscle group at a time. This will cause your body to activate more motor units and recruit extra muscle fibers to aid with the lift. Once these fibers are activated, they will remain active throughout the rest of your session.
Are you tired of your arms not filling in your shirt sleeves?
What if I told you that I had 2 bizarre tricks that would allow you to build bigger biceps faster than you ever thought possible?
In this short post, I am going to share 2 very simply but extremely effective tips for biceps training that are going to practically double the rate at which you build your arms. The same tricks I recently used to add over 1 inch to my arms in a matter of weeks!
Here is a Video Presentation I have put together on the subject:
How to Build Bigger Biceps Fast
Bizarre Trick #1:Understanding the Muscle Function
The true function of the biceps is what is called “supination”. This means to turn or rotate (the hand or forearm) so that the palm faces up or forward. In simple terms it means, from a position of palm down, to palm up.
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About Me
My name is Alain Gonzalez and I am NOT a bodybuilder. However, I have managed to gain over 40 lbs of drug free muscle in record time and I am here to show you how you can as well.
