Training, Nutrition, Lifestyle, Mental Game
I have previously written a few posts about what I consider the optimal program and excessive volume, and I thought it was time to do another one. As more research is done, we are getting more information about what works for most people to build a muscle bigger and stronger – and on an individual level, I have a few insights on what will work specifically for yourself when the general guidelines don’t.
Continue reading “The short and sweet Borge Fagerli guide to getting bigger and stronger”
Today, it’s becoming increasingly trendy to throw around the term “living a balanced lifestyle” without actually defining it properly. It shouldn’t imply an incessant glorification of “YOLO” where you one moment are rushing through a Crossfit-WOD so intense that you’re bleeding out of your ears, and in the next you’re throwing up brownies and tequila after being smashed out of your mind all weekend.
Continue reading “The most ignored causes when your results are lacking – Part 1: Stress”
There are few things as polarizing as nutrition. For some reason, it’s similar to religion in how it brings out the best and worst in people. It’s as if the foods you choose to eat defines you as a human being. And when I started posting about my experiment with eating an all-meat, zero-carbohydrate diet, I got to see this with my own eyes.
Ranging from “wow, that’s interesting, tell me more” to “wow, you are incredibly stupid, and if you promote the killing of animals for food, you deserve to be killed yourself”.
Yeah, I’m dead serious.
I posted this on my facebook page originally, and as expected it did cause a lot of controversy and engagement…which is good. Controversy means that it made people think, and what could be better than that?
I have edited a couple of points for clarity.
Along with how to build the biceps, achieving a barrel-like chest able to hoist heavy weights is one of the most popular topics to discuss for bodybuilders all over the world, and incidentally also the muscle group with the most articles on how to train it.
Well, I might not have a great chest, and I struggled with my chest development throughout my whole lifting career until I finally figured out what worked. So rather than take training tips from someone who benched 100kg the first time they walked into a weight room, perhaps you have more to learn from someone who always sucked at benching but who still managed to triple his strength and fill out the pectorals into a respectable size.
So if you feel like you have stagnated or just want to spur some new growth in that area, bear with me and keep reading.
Q: There are so many programs out there, every one of them claiming to be the “best” or “optimal” program. I am so confused, and it often makes me randomly jump from one to the other just to make sure I don’t miss out on anything. How do I know which program to follow – are there any basic principles I should look for?
This has been on my mind for a while and it is time to get it off my chest.
In previous years I would coach maybe 1-3 competitors at a time for fitness/bodybuilding competitions. Placings would be anywhere from 1st to 4th. Pretty good, I think – but in people’s minds this is what happened: When they won, the competitor got all the credit – when they lost, it was because I was a lousy coach. Just one of those paradoxes I have accepted and come to terms with over the years. On top of that I have competed myself (bodybuilding) and never done well, and “how can someone who can’t bring himself into top condition be a good coach for others”? Some outstanding logical reasoning skills being displayed in that sentence, but I digress.
I might be rambling a bit in todays post, but instead of my usual 10-page article blog posts I had something I wanted to get off my chest today, so I’m going to keep it short. Relatively speaking, for those who know me…
Protein is just one of those somewhat controversial topics that there just doesn’t seem to be a clear consensus on. How much, how often, what types of protein – fast, slow, whole food or supplements.
A normal contest prep for a male bodybuilder is usually in the 10-12 week range – but if you stay lean year-round (something I recommend) you can probably get away with half that. It doesn’t need to be all that complicated. Drop carbs, up the protein and add some daily treadmill or stepmill sessions of 30-60mins. Throw some fat burners in the mix. Rinse and repeat until lean.