August 2011
66 posts
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Don’t be afraid to fail.
Don’t be paralyzed by fear or failure or you will never push yourself. You keep pushing because you believe in yourself and your vision. Success will come.
Nothing worth having ever came easy.
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July 2011
62 posts
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Ask yourself right now:
“How bad do I want it?”
Well, what are you going to do about it?
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Nutrition for Newbies: A Basic Introduction
1. INTRODUCTION
This is a basic introduction to nutrition. Some facts/points are purposefully simplified to avoid confusion.
What is a Calorie?
A Calorie is a unit of energy. The human body needs energy to work. Humans acquire energy through food consumption. The amount of calories in a food can be found on nutritiondata.com, or where possible, on the food’s packaging.
What is a...
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wearetwentysomething asked: Mr. Spartan, I was wondering what is a good work out to build my pictorial muscles? Also, I am right handed and I find when I lift weights my right is far more capable then my left, what can I do to get them about the same? Does it involve switching hands during certain activities? Thanks for the help, great blog!
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Debunking Bodybuilding Nutrition Myths
I realize that the majority of my readers are not bodybuilders or want to be bodybuilders. Heck, I am not even a bodybuilder (yet?), but I do train and eat similar to one. Most of the knowledge we have today when it comes to nutrition for fitness actually comes from bodybuilders. Unfortunately, it’s not always the most accurate information and at times it can be downright broscience...
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All About The Squat →
Read it.
Know it.
Squat.
Keep your eyes on you and your goals. If you fixate on others and their successes you are in for a long hard battle with self-doubt.
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No one got fat in a day, a week or a month.
No one gets fit in a day, a week or a month either.
Dedication. Perseverance. Execution.
You’ll get there, I promise.
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“Fight one more round. When your arms are so tired that you can hardly lift your hands to come on guard, fight one more round. When your nose is bleeding and your eyes are black and you are so tired that you wish your opponent would crack you one on the jaw and put you to sleep, fight one more round remembering that the man who always fights one more round is never whipped.”
-James...
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“Perseverance is a positive, active characteristic. It is not idly, passively...”
– Joseph P. Wirthlin
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“Some men give up their designs when they have almost reached the goal; While...”
– Herodotus
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You’re not your weight. You’re not your body fat percentage. You’re not a number. You’re not the shoes you run in. You’re not how much weight you lift. You’re the all-running, all-lifting fitblrs of the world.
Yes, I am starting Fitblr Club.
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“I believe that when the body is strong, the mind thinks strong thoughts.
Time...”
– Henry Rollins, The Iron
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“Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s the determination and commitment...”
– Mario Andretti
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How To Drink Gatorade
By Jonah Lehrer (via)
I’ve never understood Gatorade. It doesn’t taste good, it comes in a variety of disturbing neon colors, and the spout on the bottle is way too big, so I’m always spilling blue liquid on the front of my shirt. If I’m craving electrolytes – a wonderful marketing euphemism for those salts hidden in with the sugar – I’d rather drink a Coke and eat pork rinds or chug salt...
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ehekic asked: Your blog is one of the most informational and supportive I have ever seen. I've learned most of what I know about nutrition from reading your archives, and comparing it to what other pages are out there offers no contest. Yours is an accessible, readable primer to nutrition, fitness, and general health and wellness. So, as someone who, until recently, was pretty generally ignorant of all...
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I Dream Of Nutrition: Choline
Once again I have been awoken by a dream and unable to relax until I finish research.
At least it was 2:00 AM as opposed to 4:00 AM.
This time instead of it being because I was arguing with someone (myself seeing as it was a dream) over “Is a calorie really a calorie?” my dream was riddled with the desire to better explain why choline is important to the body and how to make sure you’re...
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Supplementation
First, let me preface this entire post with the fact that supplements, whereas I find some of them beneficial, are not necessary for everyone.
Do you need supplements if you’re eating a perfectly balanced diet where you get all of your nutrient needs? No. Have I ever met someone that has a perfectly balanced diet where they get all their nutrient needs? No.
The results you so desperately...
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“Worrying about how much fat is burned while doing cardio makes as much sense as...”
– Alan Aragon
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You deserve what you settle for.
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“Some people rely heavily on cardio in order to maintain their leanness. This...”
– Martin Berkhan
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“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When...”
– Arnold Schwarzenegger
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“Never attempt to train yourself into a caloric deficit. Don’t spend hours...”
– Martin Berkhan
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Life Lessons from The Spartan Warrior
Here is a list of some of the things that I have learned over the last few years of my life. Some are fitness related and others are not. Many have been learned or recognized from major changes in my life or experiencing trials that have come about. All things have brought me to where I currently am, so I am thankful for each one whether they were good or...
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10 Reasons: Stay Motivated, Never Give Up
1. Why? The one-worded question where all of this began. Whenever you lose focus or motivation, always bring yourself back to the very first time you asked this. Whatever reason you have, is great enough for you to keep going. Don’t forget that. 2. You feel you’re setting yourself up for failure. You’re wrong. You’ve tried multiple diets which have had short term effects,...
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“My knowledge of nutrition and weight training is purely self-taught. I consider...”
– Martin Berkhan
The same exact quote applies to me and my knowledge directly.
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High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS): What the...
Don’t believe my previous post about how HFCS will not make you fat?
Read this.
Stop scapegoating certain foods or chemicals. Understand that it is, or could be, your over consumption of calories and lack of knowledge when it comes to nutrition which is hindering your fat loss.
Oh, and for reference.. I eat HFCS. I eat sugar. I drink diet soda. I eat McDonalds. I had a KFC double-down on...
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MYTH: HFCS Is Fattening
“High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is more fattening than regular sugar is.”
The origin: In a 1968 study, rats that were fed large amounts of fructose developed high levels of fat in their bloodstreams. Then, in 2002, University of California at Davis researchers published a well-publicized paper noting that Americans’ increasing consumption of fructose, including that in HFCS,...
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Every time I leave the gym I want to leave knowing that there is not a damn person in there that works harder than I do.
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“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not;...”
– Calvin Coolidge
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How To Deal With Water Retention: Part Two
By Martin Berkhan (via)
In part one of this article series I covered the basics of water retention.
This time I’ll list a few effective tricks that will help you deal with it when and if it occurs. Don’t worry, you won’t be sweating it out in a sauna and sucking on ice cubes. I’ll offer simple and non-intimidating strategies that don’t require a whole lot of...
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