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The Power Of Eggs To Beef Up Your Bodybuilding Gains

By
Austin Letorney
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eggs

Eggs have the ability to really beef up your bodybuilding gains for serious growth.

We all love those foods to eat at any time of day and eggs are exactly what we need. Perfect for a breakfast feast, mid-day addition to a sandwich, or a lazy breakfast for dinner set-up, eggs can be that anabolic effect to eat whenever you feel you need to. In this article, we will detail how eggs are a key source of protein to build muscle and achieve bodybuilding gains for bodybuilders.

Protein is vital for growth and as the building block of all muscle, having a protein source you can rely on is huge. Eggs are that source and since they can be eaten at any point in the day, the right approach to a good egg-oriented meal can be exactly what you want and need. We’ve all seen those movies where our favorite athletes and characters chug down a dozen raw eggs.

Let’s take a look at eggs and see just what makes this food such a vital source of protein. For years, bodybuilders have preached of the importance of eggs and it is no wonder why. Knowing what eggs can do for you can make or break your gains and offer you the best when it comes to a quality meal any time of the day.

eggs

Key Source Of Protein

As previously mentioned, eggs serve as a great source of protein and can be a game changer for your gains. A large egg can have about 6 grams of protein included, so if you have a 4-egg omelet, you already pump yourself with 24 grams of protein. For comparison, that is roughly about a scoop of protein powder. But the benefit to this source of protein is that it is whole food and can be mixed well with things like cheese, other meats, and veggies to make an already awesome meal.

Benefits Of Eggs

The benefits around eggs will make you want to include even more in your diet. The right approach to a well-structured meal plan can make or break your gains and give you the best chance at seeing success.

Benefits of eggs include:

  • Highly nutritious: Eggs contain a host of nutrients that are great for not just training and recovery, but also your overall health.
  • High-quality protein source: A top tier source of protein, this will work to keep you full, aid in weight loss and management, boost muscle growth, and enhance overall recovery.
  • Good source of omega-3’s: These will give you the best chance at receiving all those vital benefits of omega-3’s to aid in health and wellness.
  • Improve good cholesterol levels: Can help increase HDL levels to assist with better cholesterol.
  • Contains choline: Choline is an important nutrient to help with cell functioning as well as a host of other important bodily functions.
  • Versatile food: Eggs can be cooked and eaten by themselves or with other foods making these convenient and versatile for whatever your needs may be.

pre-workout or coffee

Eggs & Bodybuilding

For you as a bodybuilder, you need the best in terms of nutrients. Your foods should reflect how you want to feel and having the best balance of macronutrients, on top of all the other important nutrients, you can better prepare yourself for only the best gains. Eggs can do just that and for bodybuilders, they are an easy way to ensure gains without breaking the bank and causing too much headache to prepare.

Bodybuilding can get expensive, with only the highest quality foods in your fridge and top tier products on your supplements shelf. With a cheaper and more versatile food like eggs, it makes sense why they are a staple in any bodybuilders diet, no matter how successful.

A premier source of protein will ensure you see that growth you want most and can give you the best in terms of recovery and weight management so you look at shredded as possible come competition time. Eggs hold a certain power of athletes and given their ability to aid in all things training, performance, and health related, there’s really no question as to why.

Best Ways To Eat Eggs

Everybody has their own way of making and eating eggs, but the nice part about them is you can eat them alone or mix with whatever you want. Scrambled, sunny-side, hard-boiled, the options are endless. But for those bodybuilders looking for a nice lunch-time meal, an egg sandwich post-workout won’t steer you wrong. By adding other foods to your meal, you can ensure you stay full while getting the best benefits possible for your bodybuilding gains.

protein shakes

Other Key Protein Supplements

Along with eggs, making sure you have enough protein in your body is absolutely key in giving you the best gains possible. Protein powders are a great way to ensure you get adequate amounts of protein post-workout to offer the best for muscle growth, recovery, and weight loss and management. For that key overnight repair, looking into casein proteins can greatly affect what kind of gains you see. And for those on a busy schedule, meal replacements can be a nice alternative to your on the go needs.

Wrap Up

Eggs have the ability to work wonders for your gains and can provide for a host of benefits to aid in your training, performance, and results, as well as your overall health and wellness. The right approach to a well-structure nutrition plan can include these in any meal as these are a great source of protein for all your needs.

While there are plenty of other great sources of protein out there, eggs are versatile and convenient and can be a game changer for all your gains. For those bodybuilders out there, don’t neglect what eggs can do and really work to give yourself the best chance at success.

Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

*Images courtesy of Envato

References

  1. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Protein”. (source)
  2. Shakoor, H.; et al. (2020). “Development of omega-3 rich eggs through dietary flaxseed and bio-evaluation in metabolic syndrome”. (source)
  3. Kuang, H.; et al. (2018). “The Impact of Egg Nutrient Composition and Its Consumption on Cholesterol Homeostasis”. (source)

How to Optimize Meal Timing for Gaining or Cutting

By
James Tognarini
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Lunch bodybuilders, chicken breast with vegetables and rice, water

Introduction

Meal timing is something that you are bound to have heard about at one point or another during your training career. At some point, one of your friends or maybe a gym veteran has spoken to you about drinking a meal replacement shake post-workout to start promoting recovery and muscle growth or getting protein in every few hours to stave off catabolism. In this article, we detail how to optimize meal timing for nutrient timing for muscle gain and cutting down.

In more practical terms, nutrient timing is how you can bring out the full capacity of a diet. While alone it doesn’t account for a huge portion of your results (maybe about 10%), proper timing along with a well-calculated plan will see you outperforming your peers at the gym that just focus on calories. Typically there are two ways I like to use nutrient timing with my clients:

  1. As a way to build adherence with new clients (i.e scheduling meals at times they’re more likely to not miss or overeat).
  2. As a way to improve the results of an advanced client during gaining or cutting phases.

The Goal of Nutrient/Meal Timing

The goal of proper meal timing is not just about splitting calories up during the day. If you’re at a high level, you’re using trying to get the most results possible; and without knowing how to split up your macros appropriately you can be leaving gains on the table.

When creating a plan for your day, the first thing we need to do is set meals around when you wake up, train, and go to bed. The meals around these events will have the most variation, whether from the total amount of calories you are eating or the specific macronutrient breakdown.

Through these variations, we can cut hunger during a caloric deficit; make it easier to get all your food in during gaining phases; or manage things like insulin resistance in general populations [1].

How to Use Nutrient Timing to Your Advantage

The first way anyone can use nutrient/meal timing to their advantage is simply by splitting the total amount of protein they consume equally across all meals. We want to do this because while protein will almost always be used for various processes within the body, only a certain amount of it can be used effectively for muscle protein synthesis.

A simple and effective way to split protein is to divide it equally across all meals, though if that causes your macros to be awkward numbers your best bet would be to increase the protein consumption post-workout and at your last evening meal. The higher protein post-workout can help to drive a positive net protein balance especially after very taxing workouts while increasing protein at a regular meal will help to increase satiety – this is an especially powerful tool during cuts where caloric deficits will surely drive hunger up.

To contrast that last point, you can also use meal timing during a gaining phase to push most of your caloric intake around workouts or times where hunger levels are very high to avoid having to inevitably force-feed yourself to stay on track.

Here is how we can look at meal timing to optimize workouts:

Pre-Workout

Your goal with your pre-workout meal is to be able to fill glycogen stores maximally to fuel your workout. As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, you are in the gym to lift and to gain or preserve muscle mass, to that end, you want to always make sure that your pre-workout nutrition is centered around improving the performance of your workout.

Carbohydrates intake pre-workout will most likely be your second biggest consumption of carbs during the day (the biggest being post-workout), however, that isn’t the only nutrient you need to be eating. Your protein intake pre-workout will also have a twofold effect; the first being an increase in serum amino acids causing a positive net protein balance.

The second being a pro-anabolic response resulting from ingesting at least 20g of whey protein before exercising [2,3]. It also seems that through these mechanisms, there are sufficient circulating nutrients to maximally stimulate protein synthesis right after the workout is complete.

One caveat to this is that eating within a short amount of time pre-workout might have the opposite effect on performance since digestion will take precedence. A trick here would be to try and aim to have your pre-workout meal 2 – 3 hours before training.

Additionally, try to reduce the amount of fiber and fats that this meal contains and instead consume simple carbohydrates and protein. Fats and dietary fiber will slow down digestion and delay the time it takes for these nutrients to reach their destination [4]. Smaller meal sizes and quickly digesting carbs are your friends here.

Intra-Workout

While most people think that their intra-workout nutrition is going to make or break their results, the vast majority of lifters do not really need it. The exceptions to this rule are those are a very high level of lifting that train hard for well over an hour on average.

Intra-workout BCAA’s and nutrition make a difference for are high-level bodybuilders, Olympic lifters, powerlifters, and some CrossFit athletes training multiple times per day. Unless you fall into this category or are competing in a sport that requires a full-day event (a soccer tournament or Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition for example), chances are you might be better off saving the calories for your meals.

However, if you do fall into this category the rules are pretty simple: In lifting sports, choose rapidly digesting carbohydrates and protein (high glycemic carbs or powders work great here), to maintain steady blood sugar and stay anti-catabolic. For team sports or non-lifting sports carbohydrates and electrolytes will generally be the priority during the event, and protein ingestion to stave off catabolism and improve recovery will become the priority towards the end.

Lunch bodybuilders, chicken breast with vegetables and rice, water

Post-Workout

Here is where most lifters focus their nutrient timing efforts. Now, I will preface this part by saying that research does not strongly support a post-workout anabolic window, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other reasons for optimizing your post-workout nutrition.

One of the main attributes of post-workout nutrition is carbohydrate intake. Something that I picked up from the guys at Renaissance Periodization has to do with putting 35% of your daily carb allowance at your post-workout meal. Research has shown that muscles become more sensitive to insulin and therefore to glucose absorption post-training which creates an optimal opportunity to ingest a larger amount of carbohydrates – this is especially helpful for those that tend to put on body fat easily during a gaining phase [1].

Some people will also talk about needing to ingest carbohydrates post-workout to quickly resynthesize glycogen stores or to become more anabolic, however that research is divided. On the one hand, you do utilize stored glycogen to fuel intense workouts, but we’ve also seen that it is rare to completely deplete glycogen, and athletes only drinking water post-workout can replenish glycogen up to 75% within 6 hours, but it is true that ingesting carbs would replete up to 91% [5]. In addition, some research has also suggested that adding carbohydrates to a protein dose of 20-25g has no added stimulus to muscle protein synthesis [6].

Now even though it’s sad to find out that your post-workout nutrition is important but not necessarily in the way you might have wanted, it’s important to note that the benefits surrounding absorption of nutrients post-workout is still viable and should be the focus.

Final Word

Right now you’re probably saying to yourself:

“Alright, so then what’s the point of all this, James?”

Glad you asked.

Here’s what you should take away from this: Your lifting is stimulating enough to trigger anabolic responses and protein synthesis (i.e get jacked) however, the nutrition side of things might seem complicated, but it isn’t – we just want it to work synergistically with our lifting. The first rule is to figure out how many calories you need to eat, then I like to focus on my pre-workout and post-workout meals because while the pre-workout meal will be smaller, they both have the same goal: easy and quick digesting carbohydrates and protein with minimal fiber and fat.

A good rule of thumb is 25% Carbs pre-workout and roughly 35% post-workout (see Renaissance Periodization for more detail). After that the rest of your meals should be split with your goal in mind; if you’re bulking then try and fit more food during times when your hunger levels are high to avoid needing to force-feed (even splits here don’t work super well). If you’re cutting, then try and stick more of your fats and fiber later in the day and especially at your last meal since these are the most satiating nutrients, and in this way, you can avoid having to fight hunger and improve your ability to sleep restfully.

If you like what you read and want to learn even more right in your inbox, click HERE to subscribe to my newsletter and get a free transformation checklist while you’re at it.

References:

[1] Ivy, J. L. “Glycogen resynthesis after exercise: effect of carbohydrate intake.” International journal of sports medicine 19, no. S 2 (1998): S142-S145.

[2] Tipton, Kevin D., Blake B. Rasmussen, Sharon L. Miller, Steven E. Wolf, Sharla K. Owens-Stovall, Bart E. Petrini, and Robert R. Wolfe. “Timing of amino acid-carbohydrate ingestion alters anabolic response of muscle to resistance exercise.” American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology And Metabolism (2001).

[3] Tipton, Kevin D., Tabatha A. Elliott, Melanie G. Cree, Steven E. Wolf, Arthur P. Sanford, and Robert R. Wolfe. “Ingestion of casein and whey proteins result in muscle anabolism after resistance exercise.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 36, no. 12 (2004): 2073-2081.

[4] Lattimer, James M., and Mark D. Haub. “Effects of dietary fiber and its components on metabolic health.” Nutrients 2, no. 12 (2010): 1266-1289.

[5] Pascoe, David D., David L. Costill, William J. Fink, Robert A. Robergs, and Jeffrey J. Zachwieja. “Glycogen resynthesis in skeletal muscle following resistive exercise.” Medicine and science in sports and exercise 25, no. 3 (1993): 349-354.

[6] Figueiredo, Vandre C., Michelle M. Farnfield, Megan LR Ross, Petra Gran, Shona L. Halson, Jonathan M. Peake, David Cameron-Smith, and James F. Markworth. “The effect of carbohydrate ingestion following eccentric resistance exercise on AKT/mTOR and ERK pathways: a randomized, double-blinded, crossover study.” International journal of sports nutrition and exercise metabolism 29, no. 6 (2019): 664-670.

Boirie, Y., Dangin, M., Gachon, P., Vasson, M. P., Maubois, J. L., & Beaufrère, B. (1997). Slow and fast dietary proteins differently modulate postprandial protein accretion. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 94(26), 14930-14935.

Lemon, P. W., Berardi, J. M., & Noreen, E. E. (2002). The role of protein and amino acid supplements in the athlete’s diet: does type or timing of ingestion matter?. Current sports medicine reports, 1(4), 214-221.

WATCH: Eddie Hall Tossed Over Bar By Sylvester Stallone In ‘Expendables 4’ Trailer

By
Greg Patuto
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Eddie Hall is set to make an appearance in Expendables 4.

Eddie Hall is set to make an appearance in The Expendables 4, which will be released in September. On Thursday, the trailer for the film was shared and the Strongman reacted to being tossed across a bar by Sylvester Stallone.

Hall did not need to audition land a role in the film. In 2019, Hall met Stallone and was offered a cameo role in the movie. Hall built an incredible career as a Strongman and has dabbled in other areas as well. Now, he can add acting onto the list.

Hall is a former World’s Strongest Man during his time in the sport. He set a world record and became the first person to deadlift 500kg, before the record was broken by Hafthor Bjornsson. These two rivals met in the boxing ring after each trained accordingly to compete. Hall slimmed down and completed a physique transformation before the match. Now, he is preparing to compete as a bodybuilder in the future.

Hall took to his Instagram story to comment on the trailer for the movie.

Eddie Hall Reacts To The Expendables 4 Trailer

Jason Statham posted the trailer to his official Instagram account and Eddie Hall used his Instagram story to comment.

 

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A post shared by Jason Statham (@jasonstatham)

In the video, Hall is seen being tossed over a bar by Sylvester Stallone and was grateful to be featured in it, even if it was not for long.

“In the trailer for Expendables 4 for like 0.1 seconds being thrown over a bar by @officialslystallone.”

“Even get into some fifty cuffs with @jasonstatham too. Can’t wait to see it on the big screen.”

Eddie Hall has taken on many avenues and he can now add acting to the list. As he awaits his appearance on the big screen, Hall will continue to train in the gym and transform his physique once again.

It is unknown when Eddie Hall will take the stage as a bodybuilder. In January, he teased an appearance in 2024 if he is able together his physique in the right condition. This will bring much attention to the competition. Until then, fans can look forward to Hall being featured in a movie along with Stallone and Statham.

For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

2023 Strongest Man in Iceland Results

By
Jonathan Salmon
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2023 Strongest Man in Iceland

The Strongest Man in Iceland has been crowned.

The results are in for the 2023 Strongest Man in Iceland event, which took place on June 3. With Iceland being home to 2018 World’s Strongest Man, Hafþór Bjornsson, the event could prove to produce the next big strongman athlete coming out of the country.

Featuring ten strongman athletes participating in eight events, the competition will determine who from Iceland will have the best chance at representing their country at the next Europe’s Strongest Man, eventually leading to the World’s Strongest Man competition. After it was all said and done, one man towered above all as the strongest in Iceland.

Kristján Jón Haraldsson would once again retain his title of the Strongest Man in Iceland. Putting up some impressive numbers in every event, Haraldsson proved he’s a force to be reckoned with.

The eight events at the competition were the Max Dumbbell, the Bag Over Bar, the Front Hold, the Max Deadlift, the Arm-Over-Arm Pull, the Mooring Bitt Carry, the Block Press, and a Farmer’s Carry & Yoke Medley.

Kristján Jón Haraldsson started strong in the Max Dumbbell event alongside Vilius Jokužys. It wasn’t until the Max Deadlift event that Haraldsson took over and began to pull away from the field. From that point on every other athlete was playing catch up while Haraldsson pushed towards victory. The results for the eight events were as follows:

Max Dumbbell

Each strongman attempts their max dumbbell lifts.

  1. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 110 kilograms (T-first)
  2. Vilius Jokužys — 110 kilograms (T-first)
  3. Stefán Karel Torfason— 100 kilograms
  4. Pálmi Gudfinnsson — 90 kilograms
  5. Gudmundur Adalsteinsson — 80 kilograms (T-fifth)
  6. Ólafur Haukur Tómasson — 80 kilograms (T-fifth)
  7. Birgir Gudnason — 70 kilograms (T-seventh)
  8. Alexander Andersen — 70 kilograms (T-seventh)
  9. Fannar Katrínarson — 70 kilograms (T-seventh)
  10. Aron Geir Gudmundsson — 70 kilograms (T-seventh)

Bag Over Bar

The event features each strongman tossing six bags weighing 16 to 32 kilograms over a 4.3-meter bar in the fastest time possible within 60 seconds:

  1. Stefán Karel Torfason — Six in 18.67 seconds
  2. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — Six in 19.51 seconds
  3. Pálmi Gudfinnsson — Six in 26.44 seconds
  4. Vilius Jokužys — Five in 19.81 seconds
  5. Aron Geir Gudmundsson — Four in 14.88 seconds
  6. Gudmundur Adalsteinsson — Four in 24.85 seconds
  7. Birgir Gudnason — Three in 10.69 seconds
  8. Alexander Andersen — Two in 9.86 seconds
  9. Fannar Katrínarson — Two in 11.05 seconds
  10. Ólafur Haukur Tómasson — One in 4.8 seconds

Front Hold

Each strongman established their longest front hold with 25 kilograms.

  1. Gudmundur Adalsteinsson — 49.24 seconds
  2. Stefán Karel Torfason — 44.19 seconds
  3. Vilius Jokužys — 44.09 seconds
  4. Birgir Gudnason — 40.39 seconds
  5. Fannar Katrínarson — 38 seconds
  6. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 37.31 seconds
  7. Alexander Andersen — 35.53 seconds
  8. Aron Geir Gudmundsson — 32.5 seconds
  9. Pálmi Gudfinnsson — 30.46 seconds
  10. Ólafur Haukur Tómasson — 10.65 seconds

 

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Max Deadlift

In rounds of ascending weight, each strongman established their max deadlift.

  1. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 400 kilograms
  2. Pálmi Gudfinnsson — 380 kilograms
  3. Stefán Karel Torfason — 360 kilograms
  4. Vilius Jokužys — 340 kilograms (T-fourth)
  5. Birgir Gudnason — 340 kilograms (T-fourth)
  6. Fannar Katrínarson — 340 kilograms (T-fourth)
  7. Aron Geir Gudmundsson — 320 kilograms
  8. Gudmundur Adalsteinsson — 300 kilograms
  9. Alexander Andersen — 260 kilograms (T-ninth)
  10. Ólafur Haukur Tómasson — 260 kilograms (T-ninth)

Arm-Over-Arm Pull

Athletes had 60 seconds to pull weight through a 15-meter course for the fastest time.

  1. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 41.95 seconds
  2. Vilius Jokužys — 60 seconds
  3. Stefán Karel Torfason — 12.4 meters
  4. Aron Geir Gudmundsson — 11.45 meters
  5. Pálmi Gudfinnsson — 11.35 meters
  6. Gudmundur Adalsteinsson — 9.54 meters
  7. Birgir Gudnason — 9.25 meters
  8. Alexander Andersen — 9.1 meters
  9. Fannar Katrínarson — 4.85 meters
  10. Ólafur Haukur Tómasson — 1.6 meters

Mooring Bitt Carry

Each strongman carries 140 kilograms for distance.

  1. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 40 meters
  2. Vilius Jokužys — 37.2 meters
  3. Pálmi Gudfinnsson — 32.3 meters
  4. Gudmundur Adalsteinsson — 25 meters
  5. Alexander Andersen — 24.35 meters
  6. Aron Geir Gudmundsson — 19.9 meters
  7. Fannar Katrínarson — 13.2 meters
  8. Birgir Gudnason — 6.5 meters
  9. Ólafur Haukur Tómasson — 4.15 meters
  10. Stefán Karel Torfason— withdrew

Block Press

The Block Press event consisted of four implements ranging from 90 to 120 kilograms. Each strongman had a 75-second time limit to score their fastest possible time.

  1. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — Four in 67.31 seconds
  2. Vilius Jokužys — Three in 24.49 seconds
  3. Gudmundur Adalsteinsson — Three in 65.08 seconds
  4. Pálmi Gudfinnsson — Two in 31.03 seconds
  5. Aron Geir Gudmundsson — One in 10.35 seconds
  6. Alexander Andersen — One in 12.47 seconds
  7. Birgir Gudnason — One in 13.44 seconds
  8. Fannar Katrínarson — One in 21.62 seconds
  9. Ólafur Haukur Tómasson — One in 29.28 seconds
  10. Stefán Karel Torfason— withdrew

Farmer’s Carry & Yoke Medley

The Medley consisted of a 120-kilogram farmer’s carry and a 400-kilogram yoke. Each implement was carried down the 20-meter course for the fastest time in a 90-second time limit.

  1. Vilius Jokužys — 27.51 seconds
  2. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 38.15 seconds
  3. Gudmundur Adalsteinsson — 43.46 seconds
  4. Pálmi Gudfinnsson — 57.10 seconds
  5. Birgir Gudnason — 36.8 meters
  6. Alexander Andersen — 34.95 meters
  7. Aron Geir Gudmundsson — 23.1 meters
  8. Ólafur Haukur Tómasson — 10.8 meters
  9. Fannar Katrínarson — 2.35 meters
  10. Stefán Karel Torfason— withdrew

The list of the overall results can be found below. Each event offered up points and the athlete with the most was declared the victor. The full overall results are as follows.

2023 Strongest Man in Iceland2023 Strongest Man in Iceland Results

  1. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 72.5 points
  2. Vilius Jokužys — 67.5 points
  3. Pálmi Gudfinnsson — 54 points
  4. Gudmundur Adalsteinsson — 51.5 points
  5. Stefán Karel Torfason — 43 points
  6. Aron Geir Gudmundsson — 37.5 points
  7. Birgir Gudnason — 36.5 points
  8. Alexander Andersen — 30 points
  9. Fannar Katrínarson — 27.5 points 
  10. Ólafur Haukur Tómasson — 17 points

For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

News and Editorial Writer at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Opens Up About Body Dissatisfaction During His Career

By
Greg Patuto
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Bodybuilding Comebacks

Even at his peak, Arnold Schwarzenegger did not feel satisfied with his physique.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is considered by many to be the greatest bodybuilder of all-time. He built an extremely muscular and conditioned physique that led to multiple Olympia titles over the course of his career. Even at his peak, Schwarzenegger revealed that he was dealing with self doubt about his body.

After coming to America from Austria, Schwarzenegger built an incredible career in fitness. He showed a passion from a young age and developed one of the best physique ever seen. Schwarzenegger won seven Olympia titles, along with many other big-time competitions.

In recent Netflix documentary, Arnold, the bodybuilding legend speaks on some of the pressures of training that he felt during his career. Despite having a picture-perfect physique, Schwarzenegger opened up about mental battle that he faced.

Arnold Schwarzenegger muscle
Image via Instagram @schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger Speaks On Body Dissatisfaction

Arnold Schwarzenegger admitted that these feelings continue to this day. Despite great success on stage, Schwarzenegger did not feel confidence heading into shows.

“When I brag about myself, that’s all bullshit. It’s kind of like the other me I want the world to see. In reality, when I’m by myself, I look at my body and I say to myself ‘it’s not there yet.’

I think it’s the very thing that made me always be on the edge and always want more.”

The story continues to show how Schwarzenegger dealt with this feeling. He began training at Gold’s Gym after coming to America and hit the stage shortly after. One of the competitions that he highlighted was his runner-up finish at the Mr. Universe USA event.

 

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“I was so devastated, lying there in the middle of the night in bed, in this hotel room, and I thought the world is coming to an end. I cried the whole night.”

This came early in his career and Schwarzenegger was able to overcome this feeling of defeat and put together a legendary career. He has remained an influential figure in bodybuilding and has been successful in other areas as well, such as acting and politics.

Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke freely and honestly about his feeling of body dissatisfaction during his career. He hopes to be an inspiration to those dealing with the same issue.

Arnold Schwarzenegger comments on the new era in Generation Iron

Arnold Schwarzenegger is no stranger of looking back – whether it be his own life and career or bodybuilding as a whole. His passion for bodybuilding also enables him to look forward and focus on making bodybuilding a better sport withe each passing year.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has appeared in two of the Generation Iron documentary films – 1 & 2. In both, he comments on the new era of bodybuilding and how it compared to his years in the sport. Often, he is both critical and optimistic about how the sport can continue to grow.

You can check out Schwarzenegger’s appearance in the first Generation Iron with this exclusive clip below:

For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Frank Zane: Bodybuilding Weight Is Irrelevant – “Numbers Don’t Matter” | The Mike O’Hearn Show

By
Derek Dufour
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Legendary Bodybuilder Frank Zane believes that bodybuilders today are over-obsessed with gaining weight

Ever since Dorian Yates and Ronnie Coleman, it seems that Men’s Open bodybuilders have been chasing mass monster size for Mr. Olympia success. And it seems to be paying off – often times the largest bodybuilder (when on point) will rise up to become champion. The enormous shadow of Coleman has changed the way Men’s Open physiques look for decades now. However, we have also seen many bodybuilders chase that size and fail – due to a soft physique and lack of conditioning. In our latest episode of The Mike O’Hearn Show, golden era bodybuilding legend Frank Zane explains why he thinks the obsession with size and mass has been a wrong turn for the sport. Presented by Generation Iron in collaboration with Barbend.

Frank Zane is a bodybuilder who truly represents a different era of bodybuilding. While many golden era physiques are smaller compared to today, Zane was considered smaller even for the time. However, he was a powerhouse of a physique that won multiple titles – and became a legend in his own right.

By today’s standards, Frank Zane’s physique would likely fall under the Classic Physique division. That’s how far the size standards have changed. And in some ways, Zane believes that this change has been for the worse. That might explain the quick popularity of Classic Physique as a division.

Recently, Mike O’Hearn had the chance to sit down with Frank Zane for a very causal but insightful off-the-cuff conversation with the Golden Era legend. We have previously released parts one and two of this conversation – and now are showcases part three for a true “fly on the wall” glimpse into a hangout with Frank Zane. Let’s jump into it.

 

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A post shared by Frank Zane (@therealfrankzane)

Frank Zane believes size doesn’t matter – judges don’t look at numbers

Frank Zane believes that todays bodybuilders are overly obsessed with building size. Psychologically this makes sense – they grew up inspired by the likes of Ronnie Coleman. In addition, bodybuilding, like any sport, is about pushing boundaries to the next level. Size is that next level to beat.

However, Frank Zane points out that judges do not weigh you on a scale as part of your score. Your weight has nothing to do with how you ultimately score – it’s all about how you look. In today’s version of the sport, bodybuilders like to share their weight on Instagram and fans eat it up. The larger the weight, the bigger the headline.

Frank Zane emphasizes that judges don’t care about this. Sure, a bigger size can help you look like a better bodybuilder. But it’s not the most important factor. It was only a few years ago that the sport’s top athletes were widely criticized for looking too soft on the Olympia stage. This was likely because size was trumping all other factors when prepping for a show.

To emphasize this, Frank Zane tells a story of his time competing for the Mr. Olympia in 1982. He was told by nearly everyone that he needed to gain weight in order to win. Even Joe Weider himself urged Zane to add some weight in order to be competitive in the show.

Frank Zane relented and put on those additional pounds. He ultimately placed second that year. He believes that if he stuck to his own gut and came in a few pounds lighter (195 pounds!), that he would have won the show and earned the Mr. Olympia title.

While there is no way to prove if he would have won – this notion of “what is right for your body” is something that needs to be emphasized. Some bodybuilders might look better with massive size. Others might look worse – but chase it anyway thinking it is the only way to beat the biggest guy. This hurts those bodybuilders in the end.

“Weight doesn’t matter… Numbers don’t matter”

– Frank Zane

How heavy did Frank Zane lift in his prime?

Frank Zane also discusses his training regimen during his prime years as a pro bodybuilder. More specifically, he details how heavy he would lift during training. Zane explains that he would start lighter and then increase weight with every set. He would typically do four sets of about six to twelve reps. Each set would be heavier weight than the previous one.

Zane also reveals that he would stretch between every set. Why? He understood that having a maximum contraction was essential to building muscle. Stretching allowed for his body to reach those maximum contractions.

Frank Zane also explains that he learned a lot about weightlifting from powerlifters. During the late 70s, Zane started hanging around with a lot of powerliters. He saw how one in particular, Doug Young, would do extremely slow negatives on his lifts. Zane was inspired by this and brought it into his routine. With this tactic – “everything got thicker.”

It was a different time when bodybuilding science wasn’t as ubiquitous among the public. The internet didn’t exist to make research available in the palm of your hand. Golden era bodybuilders like Zane would learn more from trial and error and pick up tricks via persona experience.

Wrap Up

Frank Zane is a golden era bodybuilder and one of the few remaining direct connections to the golden era we have in the sports history today. You can check out his full insights by watching the full episode of The Mike O’Hearn Show above. Don’t forget to check back every Friday for new episodes only on the Generation Iron Fitness Network or wherever podcasts are downloaded.

66-Year-Old Bodybuilder Overcomes Diabetes, Kidney Transplant To Become Champion

By
Greg Patuto
-
Bodybuilding

Julia Linn was told she wouldn’t live past 40 but overcame all odds to become a champion.

At 11 years old, Julia Linn was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. This led to many health complications, which led to a double-organ transplant. Linn was told by doctors that she might not live past 40 but she overcame all odds to become a bodybuilding champion.

Linn suffered many complications such as blindness, nerve damage, kidney failure, and early heart disease. At 34 years old, Linn’s kidneys failed and she was being prepared for dialysis while being place on the transplant list. According to Daily Mail, Linn spoke about a 12-hour surgery that was on the table.

“It was up to me to risk having both organs transplanted in a 12-hour touch-and-go surgery.

They were performing experimental pancreas transplants at the time. Only about 2,000 had been competed globally, and the risks were high. Countless people died during or after due to strokes, heart attacks, or other complications.”

Linn was eventually matched with an organ donor and underwent a transplant surgery. This is when Linn began defeating all of the odds and taking on a new venture in fitness.

NPC

Julia Linn’s Journey To Bodybuilding

Julia Linn quickly fund a passion for fitness. She was able to lose weight and build an impressive physique thanks to her extreme motivation and work ethic.

“I lost over 35 pounds on my 5’1 frame and gained a lot of stamina. My body became more sculpted than ever.”

Linn began working out multiple times a day, five days a week. She would go to the gym for one to two hours each day and do cardio, walking between 30-50 minutes four times a week. Along with her new workout regimen, Linn changed her diet plan. She made sure to incorporate plenty of protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats along with using a macro system to track food.

Bodybuilding

Julia Linn began competing last year and earned her first victory in 2023. She took the stage during the NPC Mel Chancey Champion Muscle Classic and won first place in the 60+ Masters Bikini division. This was her first of three competitions that she has competed in this year.

“My ‘why’ is still gratitude for being alive in this body. I would not live past the age of 40 unless I received a double-organ transplant that provided me with a functioning kidney and a pancreas.

You are never too old to learn. You have the knowledge and most likely the time but you must have a ‘why.'”

Linn’s story is an inspiration for those who are looking to better themselves with fitness. After overcoming all of her health issues, Linn has become a champion and will continue to show off her impressive physique on stage.

For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Dorian Yates’ Ab Exercises That Helped Him Win 6 Consecutive Olympia Titles

By
Terry Ramos
-
Dorian Yates ab exercises

Only doing two ab exercises once a week made the bulk of Dorian Yates core routine back in the day. 

If you’re a bodybuilding fan, you know how intense and competitive the sport can be. And while there are certainly a lot of impressive figures in the field, few can truly be called “icons” – except for Dorian Yates, of course. This article will teach you the ab exercises Dorian Yates “The Shadow” did that helped him earn his Olympia titles. 

This English bodybuilder first burst onto the Mr. Olympia scene in 1991, when he nabbed a 2nd place win. But he wasn’t content to stop there — in 1992, he returned and won the whole thing. Yates was unbeatable before his retirement in 1997, holding first place every year.

And that’s not all — Yates also competed in eight other bodybuilding competitions and won every single one. Overall, it’s pretty clear that Yates is a force to be reckoned with in the bodybuilding world!

What’s even more impressive about Dorian Yates is his unconventional training method. This Men’s Open trailblazer often ignored common bodybuilding practices on sets and reps, instead choosing to train to failure regularly. However, few could attack his practices as the 5’10” Yates often stood tall and beat six-foot-plus bodybuilders. He had an overbearing size that impressed people every time!

During the peak of his career, Dorian Yates picked up the moniker “The Shadow.” He tended to show up to competitions, win and disappear after ‘till you saw him at the next competition. Luckily, Yates is now an open fountain of bodybuilding knowledge in retirement and often shares tips on his routines and mindset.

Recently on his Instagram, Dorian Yates, discussed how he built his impressive abs during his career. Many may find it controversial, as with all his other routines. But you saw the abs on him, so we think it’s worth taking an in-depth look. 

In this post, we talk about Dorian Yates’s ab exercises, his mentor, and abs in general. We also discuss the bodybuilding approach to abs. Here’s an insight into Dorian Yates’ abs routine according to his Instagram and more.

Full Name: Dorian Andrew Mientjez Yates
Weight Height Date of Birth
260 – 290 lbs 5’10” 04/19/1962
Division Era Nationality
Men’s Open 1980s-1990s English

 

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A post shared by Dorian Yates (@thedorianyates)

You can see Yates Instagram post about his ab training routine above.

Dorian Yates Abs Routine

According to Dorian Yates, his ab routine was simple; he did bodyweight crunches and reverse crunches to failure twice on one day of the week. However, he says these routines were done with a hard contraction and a big air exhale at the peak. He would squeeze the abs so much they would be on the verge of cramping! Dorian Yates writes,

“My abs routine was simple: 2x bodyweight crunches to failure, 2x bodyweight reverse crunches to failure. But these were done with a hard contraction and a big exhalation of air at the peak of the contraction. We would squeeze our abs so hard that they’d be on the verge of cramping, almost!”

Science calls what Dorian Yates is describing here isometric training. It’s the contraction of your muscles without any movement, and when you do it at the weakest point of your rep, it can spur muscle growth. Studies show that isometric training is great for muscle hypertrophy and helps to build muscle mass (1). 

Yates Always Had Visible Abs

Dorian Yates says he has always had a visible set of abs for as long as he can remember. The physique that inspired him ab wise was Bruce Lee. So when exercising as a youngster, Yates would do bodyweight pushups and situps to be like Bruce Lee. He wrote on Instagram:

“In my youth, I’d always be doing bodyweight exercises like sit-ups and pushups with a poster of Bruce Lee watching over me!”

In his early bodybuilding days, Yates tried to train his abs with weights but noticed they would quickly grow blocky. As a bodybuilder, having a muscular and defined midsection is important, so Yates had to find another alternative. This was when he switched contraction work with just body weight.

Dorian Yates Ab Exercises

The Shadow trained his abs once a week after doing a heavy-duty shoulders and triceps session. He felt like these were his easiest workouts of the week and added ab movements at the end, as the previous exercises didn’t take too much out of him.

Abdominal Crunches

The abdominal crunch is a trusted ab workout that targets your rectus abdominis, the six-pack muscle in front of your torso (2). This movement also builds your core and helps with your overall performance and stability. Strong abs are important for sports like bodybuilding and your daily movements.

Reverse Crunches

Reverse crunches offer the same benefit as abdominal crunches but with the added advantage of being easier on your back. This is because reverse crunches flex your spine less than traditional abdominal crunches. Reverse crunches activate the upper and lower rectus abdominis, lats, and internal obliques.

Our Take

When you look at it, the Dorian Yates ab routine is a great way to train your abs. Bodybuilding is about finding what works for you. If your genes already have you on the right path, like with Yates, there is no reason to go the extra mile, minimal core training is all you’ll need. 

Moreover, your abs are targeted when you do other compound exercises like deadlifts and squats. As a result, you may only need to dedicate a partial workout session to training your abs. While direct core training is still important, dedicating just 15 minutes to two or three ab routines at the end of your workout could be enough to see results. 

Most importantly, you need to focus on burning fat to make your abs show. Building your ab muscles will strengthen them, but if you have too much body fat, you’ll never be able to see them. Generally, your abs will become visible at around 10-14% body fat for males and around 15-19% for females. The lower your percentage, the more defined your stomach will be. 

“In my opinion, it wasn’t really that important to train my abs as they were always visible due to my low body fat year round and my genetics did play a part here in helping me stay lean. Everyone has abs… it’s just a case of revealing them by lowering your body fat.”

Exclusive Dorian Yates Training Journal E-Book

Dorian Yates kept detailed training journals throughout his entire bodybuilding career dating back as early as his first competition. Now, for the first time ever, Dorian’s official journals have been published highlighting passages between 1985-1990. With over 100 pages, this ebook collects the actual writings of Dorian Yates as he trained towards becoming a Mr. Olympia champion and legend.

The pages are Yates’ own words and actual writing as he trained to become one of the greatest bodybuilders in the history of the sport. This is the first of Yates’ journal that has been published, and it details select passages over the course of five years, from 1985 to 1990.

The E-book helps aspiring bodybuilders take effective notes to maximize their training, workouts and nutrition to continue seeing great progress, and how to set goals for yourself so they appear in writing so no excuses can be made.

Dorian Yates Training Journal

Dorian Yates Training Journal

Dorian Yates Training Journal is the entire bodybuilding career of legendary bodybuilder, Dorian Yates, in his own words as he chronicled five years of his training.
Shop Generation Iron

Read our full review of Dorian Yates Training Journal E-Book

Finally, as with all other muscles, recovery time is important when training your abs. Muscle growth happens during rest, so training your abs daily is unnecessary and could impair your progress. 

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for more tips from legendary bodybuilders! 

References

  1. Oranchuk, D. J., Storey, A. G., Nelson, A. R., & Cronin, J. B. (2019). Isometric training and long-term adaptations: Effects of muscle length, intensity, and intent: A systematic review. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 29(4), 484–503. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13375 
  2. Escamilla, R. F., McTaggart, M. S., Fricklas, E. J., DeWitt, R., Kelleher, P., Taylor, M. K., Hreljac, A., & Moorman, C. T. (2006). An electromyographic analysis of commercial and common abdominal exercises: implications for rehabilitation and training. The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy, 36(2), 45–57. https://doi.org/10.2519/jospt.2006.36.2.45

5 Basic Yet Crucial Fat Loss Habits

By
Calvin Huynh
-
Awesome shirtless bodybuilder in blue shorts posing over grey background.

5 Basic Yet Crucial Fat Loss Habits

Everybody wants a chiseled physique, but that can’t happen with blubber covering all your muscle. In other words, you need to get lean. And getting lean comes down to some key habits. Namely jumpstarting your fat loss. You don’t simply wake up with six pack abs, your perspective and behaviors have to change.

Here are some fat loss habits that you should practice to lose those inches. Let’s get into it.

1.​ Set realistic goals

One of the most complex parts of losing fat is starting. No seriously. Most people don’t lose any fat ever because they’re too afraid, hesitant, or wimpy to start. After you get started, you must stay committed and be relatively consistent. Losing weight has no shortcuts. You can’t starve yourself lean because those methods usually aren’t sustainable enough to see noticeable results long term.

So get stupid passionate about why you want to lose weight, but most importantly, set realistic goals.

Start with something realistic enough to be achieved. You can start by aiming to lose a pound or two however long that takes. Don’t worry about losing 15 or 20 pounds just yet.

Just focus on seeing 1 or 2 pounds shaved off the scale. It’ll be much more manageable. Furthermore, achieving small goals will motivate you to keep going. Don’t overlook this first step and aim for the stars.

Professional bodybuilders and physique competitors start dieting for shows months before their competition and set realistic goals. They lose weight steadily. If the pros are doing it that way, you should too. You’re not so amazing that you can sustain double digit weight loss weekly.

2.​ Eat Nutritious Foods

Losing fat comes down to being in a caloric deficit which is burning fewer calories than you consume over time. Ideally, you’d also maintain adequate protein intake. The deficit will force your body to shave off calories from stored tissue. The protein intake will feed your muscle, so fat tissue is lost.

Achieving this is simple in theory, but the fitness industry has overcomplicated this and have coddled towards people’s desire for pleasure. How so?

You can’t go 2 seconds on any fitness page without seeing someone promote pop tarts, pizza, and donuts while dieting. Yes, you can consume all of these and still lose fat.

However, it’s simply not practical or optimal to do so in large amounts or frequencies.

Despite what many fitness pages will tell you, you can’t view foods as only macros to fit your deficit. All foods can fit your deficit, but some foods do a better job at it because they are more satiating while providing more vitamins/minerals for health, performance, and recovery. This should be common sense, but was somehow lost in our age of information overload.

So yes, monitor your calories, but you’ll find that eating mostly whole, minimally processed foods make this much easier. This includes foods like lean meats, seafood, fruits, veggies, and grains. Drinking plenty of fluids throughout the day and with your meal can help as well. This makes up the base of your habits.

The pizza, donuts, and pop tarts should be more of an afterthought not a priority. I know, growing up can feel hard.

Fat loss

3.​ Start Walking

Walking is the most underrated thing for fat loss. People often consider it ineffective or pointless. That’s nonsense. Steps are a gamechanger because they force you off a sedentary lifestyle. In addition, they ensure you’re burning additional calories beyond your gym session because if you only work out for an hour per day while sitting the rest of the day, your life is still quite sedentary.

But beyond merely burning extra calories, walking is also easy to implement. Many people can walk their dogs, play with their kids, or go on hikes.

Many of my clients report better moods as well. And if you want to get extra sciency on why steps are amazing for fat loss, it also mitigates your unconscious drop in NEAT.

You see, when you lose weight, your body conserves energy by being more selective with how much energy it uses. You burn fewer calories for the same movement because you’re getting lighter in addition to unconsciously performing fewer spontaneous movements.

Research finds you may fidget or blink less especially after significant weight loss. By intentionally walking, you’re able to offset this loss in energy expenditure. In fact, without walking, your weight loss can easily plateau which nobody likes.

So don’t overlook walking and get your steps in.

4.​ Appreciate the slow progress

Always remember that slow progress is still progress. Well, actually what many people perceive as slow progress is simply normal or expected progress. Dieters don’t realize this though because snake oil marketing has lead everyone to believe you’re supposed to lose 12 pounds every week when most people would be lucky to lose 3 pounds per week.

Most people should lose 1-2 pounds per week and that’s excellent. Excessive weight loss leads to muscle loss anyways, so you’re not in position to brag about your 8 pound weight loss if half of it is muscle loss.

Anyways, having clear expectations allows you to keep going and psychologically stick with your habits. This is key because the effectiveness of fat loss isn’t based on how powerful an approach is. Rather, it’s based on how long you can sustain an approach.

The accumulation of days being in a deficit is what gets people lean whether you’re in a big or small deficit on a day to daybases. In most cases, the tortoise does outrun the hare because the hare was an idiot and took a break instead of accumulating more progress.

So if you find yourself accumulating progress, keep going. Repeat your habits until you’re at the finish line. You can always keep going and adjust as needed. But if there’s one key habit to keep in mind, it’s to simply not give up. To do so, you have to be ok with any progress you get. It also takes time to see progress, so don’t forget to be patient.

Fat loss

5.​ Get Proper Sleep

Sleep is the most ignored activity that enhances weight loss. Not having enough sleep makes you feel tired and stressed. This leads to feeling hungry, skipping exercise, unknowingly moving less, and performing worse in the gym. Worst of all, not getting sufficient sleep screws up your partitioning ratio.

This is the ratio of body composition changes you experience between muscle and fat tissue. Research finds that insufficient sleep skews you to lose more muscle and retain more fat. The more sleep you get, the opposite happens. More muscle retained and more fat loss.

In fact, people who eat in a deficit, but get very little sleep still obviously lose weight thanks to the deficit, but end up losing far more muscle. This keeps you at the same body fat percentage or makes it worse on a smaller frame. So the scale might go down, but your body looks nowhere near your desired physique.

As for practical steps in repairing your insomniac like habits, most people will noticeably feel and look better by doing the following:

  • ​Dedicate 7-8 hours of sleep every night
  • ​Turn off electronics, especially screens 1 hour before bed
  • ​Stretch, read, relax, journal, or anything you need to destress before enetering your bed
  • ​Take melatonin if needed.

Go Crush Your Fat Loss

Fat loss really isn’t groundbreaking or complicated. Most people know some of the key basics needed. You have to eat fewer calories than you burn. You should be eating veggies. And you shouldn’t be sitting all day.

Most people suck at getting started, so set realistic expectations and just put in the dang work. Don’t read another article or listen to another podcast. You just need to take these habits and keep repeating them day in and day out.

How Power Bodybuilding Works For Serious Strength & Size

By
Austin Letorney
-
strong man

Combining the best of both bodybuilding and powerlifting, power bodybuilding is exactly what you need for serious gains in strength and size.

Powerlifters and bodybuilders are two types of athletes determined to put their bodies through immense strain in order to be the absolute best in their respective fields. Power bodybuilding, or powerbuilding, is an incredibly effective way to take both of these sports and combine them into one so the end product is something bodybuilders and powerlifters alike will envy.

So, while both kinds of athletes rely on a proper diet and supplementation plan to power them through their workouts and their day, a monster training plan designed for both strength and aesthetic can be a game changer for all your goals.

Both powerlifters and bodybuilders always seem to try and out do the other. For powerlifters, they know they have serious strength and a mean will to get some absolutely massive weight lifted as they look to outdo opponents on the big three lifts, being the squat, bench press, and deadlift.

On the other hand, bodybuilders are searching for that shredded and massive physique, trying to achieve perfectly rounded symmetry to compete with the best on the brightest lights of the stage. Powerbuilding now takes these two ideas and smashes them into one, giving you the best chance at becoming a top contender in both fields.

Let’s take a look at power bodybuilding and see what this is all about. As a unique and effective way to train, powerbuilding can work wonders for your gains by forcing you to prioritize more than you may have thought before. From what it is, to the many benefits, and some examples of training plans, you will be well on your way to getting the most out of each and every lift.

strong man

What Is Power Bodybuilding?

Power bodybuilding combines the best attributes of bodybuilding and powerlifting so you get both stronger and visibly bigger to get the most out of training, performance, and a shredded aesthetic. The idea around this is to prioritize strength gains with the big three powerlifts and slowly increase the load as you continue through training. A powerbuilding program is something that involves low reps with heavy resistance training to really target and maximize the effects of muscle hypertrophy (1).

With the big three powerlifts, what you find is increased time under tension to cause more microtrauma with the muscles, giving them a chance to repair themselves so they grow. As a way to get both large in size and stronger overall, power bodybuilding is exactly what you need to achieve all your powerlifting and bodybuilding goals.

strong man masculine performance

Benefits Of Powerbuilding

By working so hard to achieve increased size overall and a shredded aesthetic, the benefits of powerbuilding are hard to ignore. Benefits of power bodybuilding include:

  • Serious strength and hypertrophy: Work to boost all areas of your strength gains and muscle hypertrophy with added time under tension and big lifts (2).
  • Enhanced mobility and control: Rely on better mobility and control with these big lifts as you seek to stay physically healthy while lifting big.
  • Better joint conditioning: Get your joints to a better place by conditioning them to handle such a heavy load.
  • Improved performance with compound exercises: By constantly enhancing your skill with compound exercises, you can improve performance especially as you lift bigger.
  • Figure out sport to pursue: Choosing the direction you want to go is hard but this can help you choose which sport you like better and would be happier pursuing.

Who Is This For?

It is safe to say that with the increased load and time under tension, on top of the fact that it requires serious weight and lifting knowledge, power bodybuilding isn’t exactly for the brand new beginner. This is great for those more intermediate to advanced lifters who are looking for a new challenge or who are looking to combine both sports to see real gains. For those still figuring out which path would best suit them, this is also a great way to figure that out.

Power Bodybuilding Training

When looking to build that desired strength and start to see that massive aesthetic come to life, look no further than a good training program to help get you to where you want to be. By working with lower sets and higher reps, you rely on those muscles to work hard and give you the most out of each and every lift.

Let’s take a look at an upper body and lower body powerbuilding training plan:

Upper Body

Exercises Sets Reps
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 4 10
Lat Pulldowns 3 10-12
Arnold Press 3 10
Seated Cable Rows 4 10-12
Cable Crossovers 3 10
Cable Lateral Raise 3 8
Alternating Dumbbell Curls 3 8
Triceps Pushdowns 3 10

 

Lower Body

Exercises Sets Reps
Squats 3 5
Deadlifts 3 5
Leg Press 4 10
Leg Extensions 4 12
Leg Curls 4 12
Seated Calf Raises 4 15

Nutrition Tips

When it comes to power bodybuilding, having the right nutrition plan is absolutely key in making sure you get all of the nutrients you need most out of your diet. Getting the proper amounts of macronutrients is vital for you need to ensure you get protein, carbs, and fat into your body to capitalize on all your gains.

With protein as the building block of all muscle, it is absolutely imperative you make this happen so no gains go to waste (3). Allowing yourself the proper caloric intake is also key for you need to stay fueled, especially after under so much weight.

Supplementation

Having a good supplementation routine is key and cannot be overlooked. Whether that be something like a pre-workout or intra-workout BCAA, or even a fat burner or testosterone booster, there are a host of supplements to help get you to where you want to be.

This protein supplement from Transparent Labs is perfect for all your muscle building and recovery goals as you seek to build that aesthetic you want most.

Transparent Labs ProteinSeries 100% Grass-Fed Whey Protein Isolate

Transparent Labs 100% Grass-Fed Whey boasts an impressive array of eco-friendly accomplishments. It’s organic, non-GMO, and gluten-free. There are no artificial sweeteners — a rarity in a world full of whey protein powder, which are almost always filled with chemical flavorings to disguise the chalkiness of protein.

There are also no artificial colorings or preservatives added. If you have a sensitive stomach, allergies, or just care about the environment, this is an excellent choice for you and your body weight goals and is easy to digest compared to a whey concentrate.

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Transparent Labs 100% Grass-Fed Whey Protein Isolate

Transparent Labs 100% Grass-Fed Whey Protein Isolate

Transparent Labs 100% Grass-Fed Whey Protein Isolate is organic, non-GMO, and gluten-free, boasting a great formula for a top protein powder. With nothing artificial added, this is a clean protein that is easier on your stomach.
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Check out our list of the Best Protein Powders for more great protein supplements!

Wrap Up

Power bodybuilding combines the absolute best of both bodybuilding and powerlifting to ensure all your bases are covered in terms of strength and size, while also aiding in a perfectly rounded out physique. Don’t let any of your gains go to waste and look into this form of training as you look to better your health and fitness, as well as capitalize on the potential of all your gains.

Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

*Images courtesy of Envato

References

  1. Schoenfeld, Brad J. (2010). “The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and their application to resistance training”. (source)
  2. Morton, Robert W.; Colenso-Semple, Lauren; Phillips, Stuart M. (2019). “Training for strength and hypertrophy: an evidence-based approach”. (source)
  3. Pasiakos, Stefan M.; McLellan, Tom M.; Lieberman, Harris R. (2015). “The effects of protein supplements on muscle mass, strength, and aerobic and anaerobic power in healthy adults: a systematic review”. (source)
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