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By
Phil Stevens |
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I know the last episode of of
this new series was just a few weeks ago but my goodness with
the holiday season in full swing also are the mind boggling
questions.
Enjoy...
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Subject: Holiday
Damage Control
Question: Phil I’m a bit
stressed out with the holidays coming up. Any tips to minimize the
damage and maximize results for someone interested in a nice physique
during these times
Answer: Yes you can minimize
the damage by giving cards, not presents and only to those who really
mean something to you. Mail them, cards are cheaper and will save
you some cash and are much more sentimental then some cheap gift
they will just re-gift. Be sure to sign it large and dark enough
those cheap bastards wont be able to reuse it either. If you do
give gifts use gift bags. don’t wrap them. Then when after
you give the gift take the bag back and use it on someone else.
As far as food. PERFECT time of the
year, tis the season to put on mass. Go to every single party /
dinner you are invited. The host ALWAYS makes enough extra to feed
a small army. Never turn down, and even outright request a take
home a plate of their fine cuisine. Hell even bring your own Tupperware,
load up on their turkey, deviled eggs, goose, pies, mashed taters
and gravy, rolls, all the things a growing boy or girl needs to
pack on some functional mass.
Bonus, its all free and prepared
for you. If you play this right and give the cards, like stated
above, to the correct people in a timely fashion they will feel
obligated to invite you to their shindigs, Then there is no reason
you take good grub away from each of these and have enough to cover
your diet for weeks into the new year.
Eat and be merry
Hope that helps,
Phil
Subject: is it better?
Question: I was just wondering
if a bowl of cereal ( special k ) better than a bowl of ice cream
or frozen yougart even though the calories are about the same?
Thanks
Answer: Jess-
Special K isn’t that special
really, and I would not think of it as a health food at all. I remember
a friend and colleague telling me of test they did on common boxed
cereals, and Special K came in LAST as far as how drastically it
spiked insulin. I suppose you could make an argument, yes, that
it could be better due to the fact you will get a few more mirco
nutrients (vitamins, minerals etc) in the cereal. But in reality
the ice cream and certainly the yogurt are likely to jack your insulin
no more and possibly less.
If your looking to find a reasoning to make your having a small
treat of icecream etc acceptable. DON’T!!! Just have it the
icecream. Accept it and move on. Its OK to have and accept treats,
don’t try and make up weird excuses that allow them. Have your
treat and move on. If you eat 90% good food and you exercise its
OK.
I like Coldstone Creamery
Phil
Subject: Meat
Question: QUESTION: Hey! I
am a guy who´s working out and I just wondered if you have
heard people say that it´s great to eat meat because of the
increase of strength or whatnot, I wondered if you know what type
of meat it is or is it okay with just about any kind of meat?
ANSWER: Meat is good. Red meat,
chicken, fish, turkey, anything that used to walk, run, fly, swing,
or make noise under its own power.
Red Meat is natures multivitamin,
packed with tons of vits and minerals. Fatty fish is great. The
only time you would logically think about ultra lean meats is if
you were needing to cut down for a contest etc, and needed the protein
high and caloric intake lower.
Enjoy the Animals bro. Then add a
bunch of veggies and fruit. To be blunt about it, that's why they
are lower in the food chain then us, so we can consume them. Eat
big, grow bigger. :)
Id supplement your diet with 6 -10
grams of fish oils as well to strike a nice fatty acid balance.
Mooo = Eat me in Cow Speak,
Phil
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hey again! Thanks
for the answer man! Good one! But you said red meat, what exactly
does it mean? Steak or something?
Anyway, thanks!
Answer: :) Glad you liked it,
but Jimmy?? How the hell do you not know what red meat is???
Jimmy, bro, red meat is cows, venison,
bison stuff like that. Generally base your diet on thing that walked,
swam, flew, moved and or made noise under their own power at one
time. Or things that came from those things, like milk, eggs etc.
Then add your fruits and veggies.
Red = Not White, think Blood red,
Phil
Subject: Im Weak
Why?
Question: "Hi recently i have
been feeling weak i am 30 years old I am 5ft4inchs tall i weigh
100lbs I no i am very skinny I just cant seem to gain weight. I
always thought that if you were skinny that you were also fit and
strong. My sister in law who is my height but weighs 190lbs I always
thought she looked unfit and over weight But she out does me in
every department. She does not Exercise at all but then neither
do I
A couple of days ago my husband and
i went round to there place for a BBQ The conversation came up about
my skinny arms when i replied there stronger than they look!! my
husband said not as strong as my sister with a smile,
So Kim challenged me to an armwrestle!!
she beat me sooo easy her arms are strong but they are very fat
and flabby why is she so much stronger than me? we also done a squeeze
thing with our hands like a test of strength I had to ask her to
stop I cant believe how weak i am.
She has also just got a new treadmill
the day before I pointed to it a said I can beat you on the tread
mill Kim. well so i thought WRONG!! I could not last half the distance
she did I just run out of energy and felt dizzy and really weak
in the legs.
Why when she does not exercise and
is over weight that she can beat me so easy??
IS it normal for fatter women to be stronger than someone skinny
like me??"
ANSWER: Sally-
NO! skinny has Nothing to do with
fit and definitely NOT! Strong. One can be relatively both of course
dependent on ones training and genetic But skinny low BF and small
size definitely never has translated to mean maximal strength. Over
skinny and under nourished will lead to your feeling tired, being
weak, as well as potential health problem.
Fitness is the ability to do whatever
activity you require of yourself and have hopefully a little left
in the tank. Take a sumo wrestling champion. By definition he is
VERY fit. He's a champion, where as Lance Armstrong as a marathon
runner lost, did very poorly. By definition the Sumo wrestler is
much more fit.
Marathon runners in relative terms
are very weak maximum strength wise. When you see models in pictures
that are very thing they are usually very weak, shockingly so. Fitness
models and the like DO NOT stay extremely lean year round. They
do so for photo shoots and they are generally at their weakest and
least healthy at that point. Many times as well more then you'd
like to think are on various large amounts of pharmaceuticals.
It is flat out sickening the portrayal
of fitness in today’s media, and the amount of health problems
and eating disorders it leads to in people. I have been a victim
as have many others trying to live up to the crazy, subjective,
appearance driven shallow standards.
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To answer your
question, Yes it is very common for a woman like your sister-in-law
to be stronger then you. Maximal strength is NOT obtained
at low BF % generally without he use of pharmaceuticals. Extremely
low BF % can lead to more health problems then being over
fat in many cases. Your sister-in-law has excess fuel to build
and retain muscle, and use for activity other then sustaining
her simple life functions. You are very thin and your bodies
#1 goal is stay ALIVE. It does not care if your strong as
long as your breathing. You are giving it no excess fuel to
build or retain lean mass which is very energy expensive.
Anyway, take home
message. NO thin has nothing to do with strength or even optimal
health, and many times not fit. Fitness is relative to your
goals and what you aim to achieve.
I would urge you
to eat more food, you will be amazed at how you feel, perform
and look.
Fit, kinda fat,
and fairly strong,
Phil
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About The Author
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Coach Phil Stevens is an accomplished
strength athlete with considerable experience in both powerlifting
and strongman competition. Phil is the 2007 APA World Champion
in the 242-pound class (total). He currently holds the APF
275-pound class raw National bench, squat, deadlift, and total
records. Phil’s marquis lift was his 700-pound raw deadlift,
performed on February 14, 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Phil has been ranked in the “Top 10” in the deadlift Nationally across all powerlifting federations, also serves as the Arizona State Chair for the North American Highlander Association, as well as the founder of Lift For Hope, an annual strength-competition
with proceeds donated to Charity (www.Lift4Hope.org).
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