Bigger Leaner Stronger Quotes

For me, life is continuously being hungry. The meaning of life is not simply to exist, to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer. — ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER

Muscles Grow Only if They’re Forced to

Maturity is the ability to reject good alternatives in order to pursue even better ones.

Carl Jung once said, “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.

Many people don’t realize that the benefits of exercise go far beyond physiological and psychological improvements,

Most champions are built by punch-the-clock workouts rather than extraordinary efforts. — DAN JOHN

I believe that if you can create the body of your dreams, you have what it takes to create the life of your dreams as well.

Despite what fake gurus and pill and powder pushers say, there are no shortcuts in this lifestyle. You either do the work, or you don’t. And you either transform your body, or you don’t.

Many people believe that if something comes from nature, it must be better than something synthetically made. Hence, the all-too-common (and meaningless) marketing claims of “all natural” that we find on all kinds of food products.

Catabolism Catabolism is the metabolic process by which more complex substances (such as proteins) are broken down into simpler ones (such as amino acids), together with the release of energy. This is also known as destructive metabolism. •••

Quite frankly, most guys like to train like wussies. They don’t want to push themselves. They don’t want to exert too much effort. And of course, their bodies don’t change much. They come in each day an exact duplicate of the last. Eventually, they quit out of despair and frustration.

The moral of this section is that we simply can’t trust our feelings to guide our actions. If we wander through life chasing “good feelings,” we’ll figure out plenty of ways to not feel bad about every “little” bout of procrastination, overeating, overspending, and what have you, and one day we’ll wonder why the hell we’re so fat, broke, lazy, and ignorant

IS CARDIO BEST BEFORE OR AFTER LIFTING? NEITHER! Doing cardio right before or after lifting can seriously hinder muscle and strength gains. Why? Researchers from RMIT University worked with well–trained athletes in 2009 and found that “combining resistance exercise and cardio in the same session may disrupt genes for anabolism.” In laymen’s terms, they found that combining endurance and resistance training sends “mixed signals” to the muscles37. Cardio before the resistance training suppressed anabolic hormones such as IGF–1 and MGF, and cardio after resistance training increased muscle tissue breakdown. Several other studies, such as those conducted by Children’s National Medical Center38, the Waikato Institute of Technology39, and the University of Jyvaskyla (Finland)40 , came to same conclusions: training for both endurance and strength simultaneously impairs your gains on both fronts. Training purely for strength or purely for endurance in a workout is far superior. Cardio before weightlifting also saps your energy and makes it much harder to train heavy, which in turn inhibits your muscle growth. So, how do you do it right?

You have to hustle just to pass muster, and work twice as hard as that to gain ground.

Research shows that soluble fiber is metabolized by bacteria in the colon, and can increase fecal output by stimulating the growth of healthy intestinal bacteria and fatty acids.1 Because of this, soluble fiber is an important source of fuel for the colon.2 Good sources of soluble fiber include beans; peas; oats; certain fruits like plums, bananas, and apples; and certain vegetables like broccoli, sweet potatoes, and carrots.

Insoluble fiber doesn’t dissolve in water and bangs against the walls of the intestines, causing damage that must be repaired. Research shows this process stimulates cellular regeneration and helps maintain intestinal health and function.3 Good sources of insoluble fiber include whole-grain foods like brown rice, barley, and wheat bran; beans; certain vegetables like peas, green beans, and cauliflower; and the skins of some fruits like plums, grapes, kiwis, and tomatoes.

You use your lean bulking phases to add muscle and your cutting phases to strip away fat, and along the way, assess your physique to see how far you still have to go to look the way you want to look.

When the exact restaurant’s take on the dish isn’t listed, search for it on CalorieKing, look for “Average All Brands,” and, again, add 20 percent to the calories.

When cutting, eat about 75 percent of your average TDEE. For most men, this comes out to 10 to 12 calories per pound of body weight per day.

disabuse

future self-continuity,” which is your ability to connect future consequences with present actions.

Connect with at least one person who’s on the same path as you and making progress. You don’t even have to physically take the trip together. Regular phone, email, or text check-ins can be enough to encourage each other’s success.

We are what we repeatedly do. Greatness then is not an act, but a habit. —ARISTOTLE

The only way to lose at this game is to give up.

I’m excited to get a little fitter every day.” This

tell me, I’ll forget; show me, I’ll remember; involve me, I’ll understand.

Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty. —THEODORE ROOSEVELT

Fitness is one of those rare things you can’t buy, steal, or fake. Lying, cheating, or kvetching cuts no ice in this arena, and there are no privileges or points awarded for status or style.

Cholesterol is not found in foods made from plants.

Some people spend so much time and energy preoccupying themselves with their genetic limitations (or what they believe to be their genetic limitations) that they never even try to reach them. In some cases, being honest about your limitations makes sense. If you are short, you will probably never play in the NBA. The sooner you realize that, the better. But in most cases, putting an arbitrary limit on what we can accomplish is counterproductive, and that belief alone can be what is holding us back. Many people are convinced their genetics are limiting their potential. They look at someone bigger, leaner, stronger, fitter, and more capable, and they chalk it up to something external that is easy to blame. Few people think about the ruthless consistency and discipline it takes to be exceptional at anything. Instead, the average person blames the genetic lottery or some other external factor and then continues to build the poor habits that got them to where they are today. People spend so much time and energy worrying about this arbitrary ceiling that they forget to actually do the work that will get them closer to where they want to go.

Eventually, you’ll likely need to modify this program or use another workout split altogether to reach your ultimate goals, (which is why I wrote a follow-up book to this one called Beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger).

[T]he more of yourself that you're willing to sacrifice to your cause, the less perfect you have to be to succeed. You just have to get enough right, enough of the time.

despite

You use diet to control your body fat level and boost muscle growth, and you use training to gain and maintain strength and muscle. Many people get this mixed up.

Many people think that finding answers to the right questions is the “secret” to setting and achieving goals. They’re wrong. That’s the easy part. The secret is facing the answers.

I decided that I would keep going until I died,” he told me in the interview. “And then it got a whole lot easier. Am I dead yet? No? Then I can keep going.” Many people think that finding answers to the right questions is the “secret” to setting and achieving goals. They’re wrong. That’s the easy part. The secret is facing the answers.

We, on the other hand, have it easy. And that makes it easy to go soft, lose perspective, and be lulled into idleness.

predominantly pleasurable, so we constantly search for ways to escape physical and psychological pain. Even our self-help books speak in soft, flattering tones, reassuring us that we’re just fine the way we are, and that with enough positive thinking and self-talk, the universe will reward us with abundance and bliss.

How can you gain a full understanding of a subject when you don't understand the words used to explain it? Well, that's why words are the biggest hidden barrier to understanding that almost everyone completely overlooks. Simply put, if you have misunderstandings about the words being used to communicate specific concepts, you will not duplicate the communications exactly - you will reach your own distorted conclusions due to misinterpretation.

That was actually my motivation for creating Bigger Leaner Stronger: For many years now, I’ve had friends, family, acquaintances, and co-workers approach me for fitness advice, and they were almost always convinced of many strange, unworkable ideas about diet and exercise.

Eat at least about 30% of your daily carbs in your post–workout meal.

These exercises are the squat, deadlift, bench press, and military press, and

Regardless of the source, 1 gram of protein contains 4 calories, 1 gram of carbohydrate contains 4 calories as well, and 1 gram of fat contains 9 calories. Yes,

If we hang around people who are generally goal-driven and happy with high levels of self-control, we too can “catch” these traits.36

When we consider how overtargeted and overstimulated our dopamine neurons really are, it’s no surprise that the average person is an overweight procrastinator hooked on ice cream, video games, television shows, and social media and that it takes a rather dramatic shift in behavior to escape from these traps. If

A high-protein diet is absolutely vital for building muscle and preserving it when you’re dieting for fat loss. A low-protein diet is absolutely good for nothing. End of story. One

The bottom line is that HFCS is just another simple sugar, and as far as we can currently tell, it can only harm us when overconsumed. Now,

From this, we can derive a sensible recommendation: if you’re overweight and don’t exercise, you shouldn’t eat a bunch of simple carbohydrates every day.

Only insoluble fiber can’t be processed by your body and goes right through you. Soluble fiber turns into a fatty acid in the gut and contains somewhere between 2 and 4 calories per gram (scientists aren’t sure yet).117

HOW OFTEN YOU SHOULD DO CARDIO In terms of frequency, here’s how I do it: • When I’m bulking, I do two 25-minute HIIT sessions per week. • When I’m cutting, I do three to five 25-minute HIIT sessions per week. • When I’m maintaining, I do two to three 25-minute HIIT sessions per week. • I never do more than five cardio sessions per week, as I’ve found my strength begins to drop off in the gym if I do.

scientists at the University of Western Ontario gives us insight into just how much more effective high-intensity cardio is.27 Researchers had 10 men and 10 women train three times per week, with one group doing between four and six 30-second treadmill sprints (with four minutes of rest in between each), and the other group doing 30 to 60 minutes of steady-state cardio (running on the treadmill at the “magical fat-loss zone” of 65 percent VO2 max). The results: after six weeks of training, the subjects doing the intervals had lost significantly more body fat. Yes, four to six 30-second sprints burn more fat than 60 minutes of incline treadmill walking.

Working out with a bad partner sucks. It drains your energy and motivation and can even cause you to lose enthusiasm for working out altogether. On the other hand, working out with a good partner can go far in keeping you on track and making progress. He helps keep you accountable and wanting to show up every day, and having a spot on certain exercises helps push you for another rep and encourages you to move up in weight as you should. These things can make a big difference as time goes on. Those workouts, additional reps, and progressions in weight that wouldn’t have happened if you were solo add up to real gains. So, I recommend that you find someone to work out with before you start, and the two of you should agree to the following code. 1. I will show up on time for every workout, and if I can’t avoid missing one, I’ll let my partner know as soon as I know. 2. I won’t let my partner get out of a workout easily. I will reject any excuses that are short of an actual emergency or commitment that can’t be rescheduled, and I will insist that he comes and trains. In the case where there’s a valid excuse, if at all possible, I’ll offer to train at a different time so we can get our workout in. 3. I will come to the gym to train—not to chat. When we’re in the gym, we focus on our workouts, we’re always ready to spot each other, and we get our work done efficiently. 4. I will train hard to set a good example for my partner. 5. I will push my partner to do more than he thinks he can. It’s my job to motivate him to do more weight and more reps than he believes possible. 6. I will be supportive of my partner and will compliment him on his gains.

According to a meta-analysis of clinical trials evaluating fructose intake, 25 to 40 grams of fructose per day has no negative impact on our health.12 That’s 3 to 6 bananas, 6 to 10 cups of strawberries, 10 to 15 cherries, or 2 to 3 apples per day. Or, as the old advice goes, a few servings of fruit every day. Problems with fructose intake are only seen among those who regularly eat large amounts of refined sugars, like HFCS or sucrose. For instance, a 20-ounce bottle of soda sweetened with HFCS contains about 35 grams of fructose. One gram of sucrose is about half glucose, half fructose, so if you eat a dessert with 50 grams of sugar, you’re getting about 25 grams of fructose. Even agave nectar, which is touted as healthy by many due to its low-glycemic properties, can be as high as 90 percent fructose. Other less processed forms can be as

You are right to be wary. There is much bullshit. Be wary of me too, because I may be wrong. Make up your own mind after you evaluate all the evidence and the logic. — MARK RIPPETOE

Cardio is negotiable.

Instead, you’re going to do what most popular mainstream weightlifting programs never prescribe: you’re going to focus on heavy, compound weightlifting, and you’re going to do just enough sets and reps in your workouts to maximize muscle overload and stimulation without going so far as overtraining.

Newbie gains” are very real and boil down to the simple fact that your muscles respond exceptionally well to just about any type of training for the first three to six months. Simply put, you can make all kinds of mistakes in the beginning and still make better-than-average progress. This doesn’t last long, though. Once the “magic” runs out, it’s gone forever, and what worked for the first few months won’t necessarily continue to work.

Thirty minutes of reading per day, over time, can turn you into an expert in just about anything.

In fact, according to a 2006 study conducted by researchers at Duke University, more than 40% of the daily actions people perform aren’t actual decisions: they are habits.

You’ve probably heard that it takes somewhere between 21 to 30 days to form a new habit. This rule of thumb originated with Dr. Maxwell Maltz’s seminal 1960s book Psycho-Cybernetics, but actual scientific research has demonstrated it can take quite a bit longer—about 66 days on average.

Always set goals and be looking to improve. Don’t just try to stay the same, because things tend to either get better or get worse. Generally

Examples of powerful compound exercises are the squat, deadlift, and bench press, which train a lot more than just the legs, back, and chest, respectively. The

You see, if you’re looking to build a solid foundation of muscle and strength, you should do the same types of exercises every week, and they will include things like squats, deadlifts, bench presses, dumbbell presses, military presses, and others. If

Researchers also found that working in the 4- to 6-rep range (80 percent of one-rep max, or 1RM) is most effective for those who train regularly. The conclusion of this research is simple: the best way to build muscle and strength is to focus on heavy weightlifting and increase the weight lifted over time. Well,

What drives muscle growth, then? The answer is known as progressive tension overload, which means progressively increasing tension levels in the muscle fibers over time. That is, lifting progressively heavier and heavier weights. You see, muscles must be given a powerful reason to grow, and nothing is more convincing than subjecting them to more and more mechanical stress and tension.2

Ironically, if you want an area of your body to be leaner, training the muscles without also ensuring you’re reducing your body fat percentage will only aggravate the problem. The muscles will grow but the layer of fat will remain, which will only result in the area looking bigger and puffier. I

The road to nowhere is paved with excuses. —MARK BELL

Don’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability. — JOHN WOODEN

according to a 2006 study conducted by researchers at Duke University, more than 40% of the daily actions people perform aren’t actual decisions: they are habits.1

You save up calories/macros for the upcoming feast by eating nothing but protein leading up to it. Skip post-workout carbs and everything else—just have protein all day. You eat protein on your normal feeding schedule or follow an intermittent fasting routine for the day, fasting up until about 8 hours before the feast.

Another little trick for cheating while staying really lean is to burn up some glycogen before the feast. You best accomplish this by weightlifting or by performing HIIT cardio (shoot for 20 to 30 minutes).173

Reducing your consumption of pessimistic, fear-mongering media can reduce stress levels as well. Research has shown that exposing yourself to a constant barrage of bad news, scare tactics, and morbid reminders of our mortality increases the likelihood of overeating, overspending, and other willpower failures.23

chemicals in your body, such as saliva, which interacts with food to cause a chemical reaction and break it down.

In the Fahrenheit scale used in the U.S., water freezes at 32 degrees and boils at 212 degrees.

Sir William Thomson, also known as Lord Kelvin, was an ingenious physicist and engineer, and he said that when you can measure something and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you can’t measure it or express it numbers, your knowledge is lacking.

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Fried foods are often cooked in trans fat.

is a pitcher with a built-in filter, like those made by Brita and Pur.

I left soy protein off the list of recommended supplements, it’s because it’s just a bad protein source. To start, most soy protein supplements use genetically modified soybeans

Any food that contains “hydrogenated oil” or “partially hydrogenated oil” likely contains trans fats, so just don’t eat it.

First, every professional bodybuilder is on steroids. Yes, every single one, regardless of what they say.

The worst cardio mistakes I see guys make is doing cardio right before or after lifting. These mistakes can seriously hinder muscle and strength gains.

Get shoes with flat, hard soles like Chuck Taylors.

Oh, and if you’re afraid that the cholesterol in eggs will increase your risk of heart disease, this myth has been thoroughly debunked by both epidemiological and clinicalresearch.4 With

First, by eating a food repeatedly, you’re more likely to develop a liking for it. Research with children, for example, shows it can take up to fifteen exposures to a new food before they adjust to it.94 Second, you can cultivate a taste for foods you don’t like by combining them with ones you enjoy. For instance, if you struggle to eat cruciferous vegetables but love cheese, combine them! Then, as you get used to eating the vegetables that way, you can reduce the amount of cheese until it’s no longer needed.

the right perspective helps with adjusting your palate. If you view food primarily as a source of flavor, comfort, and pleasure, it’s much harder to eat a lot of what’s good for you versus what makes you feel good. If, however, you consider it mainly a supply of nutrition and sustenance—“fuel,” as some people like to say—you’ll develop an inclination toward nutritious foods and an aversion to overindulging in junk calories

Would you have a great empire? Rule over yourself. —PUBLILIUS SYRUS

Thus, as the Bigger Leaner Stronger program is intended for men who have yet to gain their first 20-to-30 pounds of muscle, it entails 9-to-12 hard sets per major muscle group per week—the appropriate amount of volume for that goal. Eventually, however, that’s not enough volume to keep progressing, which is why in the sequel to this book, Beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger, intended for intermediate and advanced weightlifters, the volume increases to around 15 hard sets per major muscle group per week.

When we’re constantly awash in dopamine, it’s all too easy to feel like one big itch that always needs scratching. And when we consider our neurons, overtargeted and overstimulated by the incessant and inescapable calls for consumption, it’s no surprise that the average person is an overweight procrastinator hooked on junk food, entertainment, and social media.

Vision creates faith and faith creates willpower. With faith there is no anxiety and no doubt - just absolute confidence in yourself.” - Arnold Schwarzenegger

This paradox has been demonstrated in a number of studies. For example, research conducted by scientists at the University of Chicago found that when people were led to believe they were closing in on their weight loss goals, they were 32 percent more likely to choose a chocolate bar for a snack over an apple.39

remind yourself that while you may not always be able to control where your mind wanders, you can always control how you respond, and remember the goal that’s at stake and why you committed to abstaining in the first place.

Progress can cut both ways because the satisfaction it produces can become complacency, a powerful catalyst for weakening willpower.

The truth is that fitness is hard, and no matter how gritty you might be, if you’re not seeing clear and consistent results and progress for all your work in the kitchen and gym, it’s only natural for your drive to dry up.

Those with higher levels of willpower do better in school, earn more money, make better leaders, and are generally happier, healthier, and less stressed, have better social and romantic relationships, and tend to live longer.

Organic Oreos are perceived to be lower in calories and more suitable for daily consumption than regular Oreos.46

Discipline is doing what you hate to do, but nonetheless doing it like you love it. — MIKE TYSON

No matter what you do or how satisfying it is in that beautiful moment in time, immediately you want more. You have to, if you want to find out how good you can be. — GLENN PENDLAY

All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. — ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER I’m

The road to nowhere is paved with excuses. —MARK BELL For