Friday, February 29, 2008

The Making of the Strong Fat Man, Part One


Part One: Diet

Big guys are at a tremendous advantage when they decide they want to become a monster at iron moving. Pencil necks have a problem because they need to gain mass, and they have all the vagaries associated with eating a shit ton for the first time, eating the right type of shit ton, and working from square one with muscles that are unused to moving anything other than their piddly 140lb frame.

Great website, by the way.

Fat guys on the other hand, already consume lots of calories. So the ingredients to build muscle are already part of their daily regimen. Also, since they are big their muscles are already preconditioned to larger amounts of strain from moving them around doing fun fat guy things like drinking way more beer than me and embarrassing me with insane choke holds.

Points for?

Lots of calories already present in diet
Already has strong tendons, bones, musculature

Points against?

Need to change where they are getting their calories
Need to combat crushing I'll just sit on the couch syndrome

The first key here is to change the diet by moving away from empty calories and carbohydrates in mass quantities. The good thing is here is the fat man doesn't need to eat less, he just needs to eat different. This is good news to the fat man because, like all men he enjoys to eat. Empty calories and sugar needs to be almost completely eliminated and instead substituted with an absolutely insane quantity of protein. Zoidberg suggests at the beginning of the week, the fat man bake himself 4 or 5 lbs of chicken breasts, cover them with some sort of low-cal sauce (mustards, lemon-pepper, etc.) and stick it in the fridge.

Every time the fat man feels his stomach a-growling, rather than eating chips, pretzels, sweets or other carb-heavy stuff he simply grabs a hunk of chicken and eat it. It is much better for you, and it feeds your muscles. Plus, you'll be eating more animals, something I heartily endorse. You can achieve the same goal by baking/grilling a mass quantity of turkey burgers and lean beef or pork.

The key here is to have these meats available. Notice how I am not condoning the fat man stop eating, or eat less. Just eat different. This is far easier, much more fun (the animals thing), and in the long run healthier. You'll find yourself losing weight from the sheer benefit of the fact that you'll be consuming far more of your calories through protein, rather than fat and carbs.

Also, follow this general rule:

Fats and Proteins = yes!
Protein and Carbs = yes!
Carbs and Fats = no!


So let me summarize Part One, Mission Powerlifting Fat Man of Strength - The diet.

1) Cut out carbs as best you can. No pretzels, chips, breads, white pasta (whole wheat if you can), white rice.

2) No fucking sugar other than booze. Yeah yeah booze has 7 calories per gram, but I am trying to meet people half-way here. A life without beer is not a fun life. But you can definitely cut out sugar as a compromise. Drink Diet soda, the aspartame scare is a goddamn lie.

3) Make a shit ton of meat and keep it in your fridge. Eat that stuff whenever you get hungry rather than resulting to the typical snack. Meat, meat, meat! I recommend a Costco Membership and a big oven. It helps if you aren't a vegetarian. But if you are, you don't belong on my blog.


Coming Soon: Part Two - The Workout of Undeniable Awesomeness.


Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Old Hardware

I come to my audience of five and half to spread the knowledge of a new wondrous beverage. It really isn't new, but it inspires wonderment...or at least headbutts from my dear friend C-Brinkles.

Lo, I speak unto ye about the rusty nail!


The rusty nail is a delicious poultice composed of 2 parts cheap scotch and 1 part incredibly overpriced Drambuie. Drambuie itself is quite a treat, as its swirling complexity of herbs and honey meld together well with the fact that it is an aged scotch whisky of questionable origin.

"But it's from Scotland! Surely it must be like the morangiedalimorefiditchiglens, and full of lots of numbers denoting how much you have to spend....and excitement!"

Blast, no you confounded fools! Since when has any distiller in his right mind decided to add such powerful aromatics and sweeteners unless to confuddle the senses and fool the plebes into thinking it is drinking ambrosia? Besides, scholars (wikipedia) maintain that contrary to modern chemistry Drambuie can indeed be lit ablaze despite being only 80 proof.

But damn the torpedoes and loose lips shank sips, this beverage is an absolute delight!

"But Zoidberg, there is nary a bit of corn within a mile of this recipe! It is bourbon-free and from the dreaded land of the Scots!"


(google result of stupid Scots)

These are dark times my friend, full questionable policies regarding when I can club baby seals and slide tackle emo kids at the gym. When I seek solace, I seek it with whatever is left in my liquor cabinet and goddamnit the only thing left is scotch, drambuie, and this disgusting mess called Pimms. Why anyone would drink anything called Pimms is beyond me.

So go forth and fire up the old liver because this beverage is a welcome change of pace.

Points for?

* Sounds goddamn manly as hell, makes you feel like a Viking when you order it.
* It is a brown, so it fits well within the regime of drinks acceptable to Zoidberg
* Easy to mix
* Tastes like freedom

Points against?

* Costly to obtain ingredients ($20 for run of the mill blended scotch, $40 for drambuie, BLAST!)
* Hangovers can get nasty
* People will assume you like scots, bloody scots!

Friday, February 22, 2008

Damn Son

Albeit in the grand scheme of things this much anticipated achievement would get brushed apace by such monolithic monstrosities as this magnum force (who by the way just sported a combined 1500 lb combined, holy fucking shit!).

Regardless, Zoidberg is on the upswing. Having just discovered things like "competition parallel" and " 1.5 g protein / pound body mass" I feel like I am just cresting the realm of something I have worked for endlessly.

So here it is. Zoidberg deadlifted 500. Finally. I then summarily got d-zazzled and j-thrilla's place post-haste.

Thanks to J-thrilla for the abode.

Thanks to Rockstar for indulging my latent horrible musical talents. I still blame shitty drumming.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Family Tech Support


WAIT WAIT WAIT!
SLOW DOWN SON!

...

HOW DID YOU SELECT ALL THOSE FILES!!!



I made a box around them ma...



NO NO GET YOUR HANDS OFF I HAVE TO DO IT, DONT SHOW ME, LET ME DO IT! I AM A TACTILE LEARNER!



...

ok

...

your boxing the wrong way, you have to click outside the file name and drag open the...



DON'T GET NASTY WITH ME!



I'm not ma, i'm just trying to show you how to...



JESUS CHRIST, I'M JUST GOING TO PAY THE COMPUTER GEEKS TO COME OUT HERE AND FIX THIS THING.


No ma, I told you this computer needs to be wiped clean, it is full of every virus ever created, including Hanta. There is no saving it, we have to start anew.


OH MY GOD ITS BECAUSE OF MY RECEPTIONIST! SHE IS ALWAYS ON THE SPACES DOWNLOADING VIRUSES ONTO MY RAMS




spaces?




I DONT KNOW....iSPACE?



myspace?



YEAH WHATEVER

Oh Noes...Readership Increases to Four!

A fitness question floats its way to the Zoidberg from one of his old college buddies ButAss. ButAss has started doing rugby (awesome) and wants to figure out new ways to get his legs more tree-like for the pummeling (even more awesome) and he figures the way to do this is with plyometrics, intervals, and smith machine squats (uh oh).

All kidding aside, let us determine where the problem is here...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My four day split w/ a full day for legs was going well, at least I thought, until I realized I wasn't going deep enough with my squats and I'm still questioning my form on the deadlifts. I've noticed my legs do fine until I start to get to the bottom of the squat, where I have now noticed I am having trouble getting to even w/o any weights. Any suggestions to improve that? I've been doing squats on the smith machine and lunges in the mean time, even on the smith I have problems getting low w/ just a plate on each side. Any recommendations on how to strengthen that so I can start doing squats properly?
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Approach

Ok, let's break down the situation. It seems that you are vexed at a lack of progress in legs. If you only have time to hit the weights twice a week, make sure you are doing some legs first on both days. I would suggest this:

Day 1: Squats, Deadlift, Chest, Arms

Day 2: Lunges, Step-up, Back, Shoulders

You have to tackle the problem at the source, something I avoided for a long time by trying to do other leg exercises without realizing that if your problem is squats...the solution is squats. Break out of that rat-bastard smith machine. It is most likely restricting your form and keeping you from moving around naturally at the bottom of your lift, forcing you to work against the machines assembly on the drive. Next, start doing these leg exercises deep, slow, and heavy.

A huge problem with lifters who are struggling with lighter weights, knowing they are strong enough to lift more is that they refuse to go for higher weight! If you are struggling to get your three sets of 6 reps at 185 on deadlift, go for broke one week and try and get three sets of 3-4 reps at 225! You'll be better off, I promise.

J-tox and I were doing heavy deadlift Sunday when some dude next to us asked us how often we go for heavy (or near maximal) lifts for legs...

EVERY TIME!

You need to go maximal a couple times EVERY WORKOUT. So this guy had been struggling to get his three or four sets of 6-8 reps at 225 on deadlift. We told him to quit babying himself and push the envelope.
He then proceeded to crank 2 sets at 275 (50 more lbs) for 4-5 reps. Far out man!

Why am I such a genius?

Lifts

Keep doing lunges, they are an excellent addition to a leg workout if done properly, which is deep with your back mostly straight. Use dumbbells only until you have mastered the form and aren't wobbly like a freshman after punch night at ATO.

Deadlifting is an oft-screwed up lift, and without seeing you in person I cannot tell you what you are doing wrong (or right), but I can tell you three simple things you should do in order to facilitate a good lift.

1) Make sure the bar starts out touching your shins.
2) Pull straight up, transferring the weight to your lower back simultaneous to you squeezing your ass together and straightening your legs.
3) Keep your back flat while sticking your ass out.

I can also pass on this brilliant three part article from the boys at T-Nation.

Part I:
Part II:
Part III:

Squat heavy, low, and determined. Not necessarily slow, but don't rush. For the longest time, Zoidberg dropped to what he assumed was essentially parallel. FUCKING WRONG. Parallel is obvious, I just refused to acknowledge truly how painful and deep parallel truly is. ButAss, squat down until you abs are laying on your quads...go below parallel...touch your ass to the ground. Shelve the ego for a while and just squat so low that you feel like you are dropping a load in China. You'll be better off. The gym is full of guys loading up the rack with 315 who go down 30-45 degrees.

Be the guy that squats 185 until his ass touches the ground. You'll be 10 times stronger.

Step-up involves grabbing a steady platform (I use the aerobics platform with 6-7 of those blocks under it, every gym is different though). The idea is that you want to put one leg up and have the bottom of your thigh be parallel with the ground. This is usually somewhere around 15-20 inches. Anyway, load up the barbell and just take turns stepping up, one leg at a time, making sure to fully step up and contract the leg before bringing the other leg to the platform.

It will surely kill you.

Start with dumbbells until you get the form down.

Good luck ButAss, murder some people on the rugby field for me.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Booze Review: Michter's US1 Bourbon

This very welcome addition and quick disappearance from my cabinet came courtesy of my Grandmother. You all should stop for a moment and realize what a wonderful world I must live in where my Grandmother gives me tasty bourbon for Christmas. Gramses hails from Brooklyn, land of Hasidic Jews, honking, and bitter NY Mets fans. Gramses has a history of enjoying the Johnny Walker Red, something I am not sure I get on boat with. However, her steadfast determination in drinking a brown in an Italian family whose sole purpose in life is to live and breath gin is a feat indeed.

At some point, Gramses decided it would be totally acceptable to give her grandson booze, and I am glad this realization took place. I can however, imagine the brief moral dilemma that occurred to her while considering the notion. Which makes me think that another relative (probably by uncle) then reaffirmed that such a gift would be totally OK because as we all know I am a drunkard.

Michter's defies all research attempts, which means that I could not find it using google. What information I can find mentions that this magical pot-stilled sour mash, straight bourbon was distilled at Michter's Distillery in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania?

Whatever.

Michter's Distillery was established in 1753. Until it's closing in 1992, it was the oldest operating distillery in America. Bourbon County wasn't even formed until 1785. At that time, it was still part of Virginia, and was named to honor the Royal French Family. The former Fayette County was a major "hub", as it were, for distilled spirits travelling on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. These barrels were stamped with the county name, thus coupling it with the lovely amber nectar. (Information via Straight Bourbon)


Like this, only not single barrel

Michter proudly mentions on the label that this is an American unblended whiskey, not a bourbon. Though he mentions it is aged for 10 years in a white-oak barrel...so I am a bit unclear how he makes that claim other than being 80% corn...to me that is still a bourbon.

The bourbon itself was truly a delicious feat. The nose gave no hint of a very sweet beverage, but the initial taste revealed this whiskey was distinctly more comprised of corn that your average bourbon. The direct and uncomplex sweetness is mellowed out almost immediately by the organic woodiness of the aging process. The overall impression of this whiskey is very syrupy and honey-like, but not so much as to overpower the palate. I would say that this sweetness mirrors Jefferson Reserve very closely, but Michter has a rougher edge that conveys their pot distillation. Reminds me of something Grandma would make.


Fraptious Day

It is a sad day. Last night I came to the horrid realization that the rotator cuff is truly, honest to god, 100% injured, whereas previously I thought I had a mild tweak. Constant bull-headed aggravation has lead a minor injury into one that needs to rest for a considerable length of time. This realization precludes the awful truth that I need to take a complete 1 - 2 months off chest, back, and shoulders.

This is a crippling fact.

But it is either that, or suffer a debilitating injury that will hinder me the rest of my life. I'll go ahead and stop the whining now, because it is starting to piss me off. The trick now is to devise a workout plan that won't let me shrivel into the 170 lb stick I was about a year ago. The lynch-pin here is intervals.

If I start erging 10k a day, 5 days a week, by April I will have lost just about 50% of the gains I have made in the past 9 months. But if I keep the erg workouts short and explosive, I should stay in a primarily anaerobic zone. It won't be perfect, but with the addition of two leg days a week and some lighter arms, I should stave off looking like an Ethiopian for a while yet.

Here is a tentative plan, that I think all those who are healing from lingering upper body injuries should use, because I am a fucking fitness genius.

Sunday ------------------Heavy Legs: Squat, Deadlift, Step-up
Monday---------- 8 x 500 @ Anaerobic max, 2:30 off, r20-24
Tuesday--- 4k light, r20-22. Hammies: Lunges, Stiff-leg Deadlift
Wednesday--Light- moderate weight isolated arms. Slow reps
Thursday-------- 8 x 500 @ Anaerobic max, 2:30 off, r20-24
Friday -------4 x 1000 @ Anaerobic threshhold, 3:30 off, r20-24
Saturday -----------------I toil not.