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15 Reasons Why People Hate Working Out
Reasons Why People Hate The Gym
There are two types of people, the ones who love working out and the others who hate the idea of it. There is no middle ground. You might love to train but at the same time, your parents might not understand why you waste your time and money on such a useless (according to them) thing.
We think we have figured out why people have such extreme feelings about hitting the gym. Our goal with this article is not to shame anyone. We want to shed light on facts so that people can be more accommodating.
All-in or Nothing
You’re either living the fit lifestyle or you’re not. Knowing the fact that you won’t see the desired results if you follow a training program for 4 days a week and do as you please on the other 3 days is a deal-breaker for many people.
Not Being Able To Change Your Body image
For many people, their happiness and self-worth are directly related to their body image. They sulk if they can’t get the results or arbitrary factors like the number on the scale to go in their favor.
People Who Lift Do So To Show-Off
It’s no secret that lifters are thought to be self-obsessed narcissists. Many people never get a gym membership just because they want to avoid the tag. They don’t want to be judged by how much they can bench.
Forever Dieting
Following a balanced diet is one of the most crucial aspects of a successful transformation but it can be hard and boring. The idea of eating the same food every day isn’t appealing to everyone.
It Never Stops
Once you hop on to the fitness bandwagon, all your decisions will be influenced by it. You might have to cancel going out with friends or family because of your workouts, and the gym might be the first thing you look for while you’re planning a vacation.
Too Many Fads To Keep Count Off
There are indeed many fads in the fitness industry and they go away as fast as they come. Learning about new diets, training principles, and supplements every few weeks is too much for some people.
Workouts Are Intense
Out of all the people who get a gym membership, a big number quits within a year because they can’t see the desired results. A transformation needs much more than walking on the treadmill for 20 minutes and it’s too much to ask off many people.
Supplements Are Sh*t Expensive
There is a myth that you can’t build muscle mass without supplements. Some people avoid supplements because they are out of their budget and others think that they do more harm than good.
Who Needs Injuries?
Training is one of the most intense sports and the probabilities of an injury increase four-fold when you’re around the unforgiving iron. Some people would rather sit on their couch all day long than be crushed under a barbell.
Aesthetics Are Everything
Many people diss working out because they think it’s all about looking good naked. Some of these people advocate working on mental and spiritual well-being instead of the gluteus maximus.
Always Be Critiquing
As the great Joe Weider once said, “Looking at himself, a serious bodybuilder isn’t admiring, he’s looking for trouble. And he sees trouble, every time.” There is a thin line between self-critiquing and self-loathing and as a fitness enthusiast, you always have to mind your step.
Comparing Your Physique To Everyone
As you start training, sooner or later, you’ll find yourself comparing your muscles to people in your gym – or that guy on Instagram. Once this happens, it all goes downhill from here.
Solo Sport
Many people join a sport because they like to be around people and want to be part of a team. Bodybuilding, on the other hand, is one man’s game and is arguably the most selfish sport.
The Need To Find A Cult
After people get a gym membership, they soon start finding a cult to join. They are torn between loving or hating the squats, being a carnivore or a vegan, bodybuilding or CrossFit, keto or paleo, etc.
Acute Self-Loathing That Comes With Missing A Workout
No matter who you are, where you’re from, what you do – if you’re living the fit life, you’ll have faced the agony that comes with missing a workout. The struggle of making up for a missed workout in the next session is real.
How often do you workout? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
How To Perform the Perfect Skull Crusher To Build Impressive Triceps
The Ultimate Exercise for Tricep Building
Regardless of whether you are a powerlifter, bodybuilder or sports athlete, you should be performing some form of tricep strengthening exercise in your training program.
Developing the triceps can have a positive impact on both strength, aesthetics and technique. However, despite this, many still fail to perform tricep work regularly enough.
If you are looking to improve your pressing and lockout ability for exercises such as bench, dips, handstands, snatch, and jerk, then there is a great need for strong triceps.
This article will review one of the best tricep strengthening exercises that you should be doing – the tricep skull crusher.
Not only will it breakdown skull crusher technique and explain a number of the benefits associated with the exercise, but it will also provide a selection of variations and alternatives.
Skull Crusher Technique and Muscles Worked
The skull crusher is an isolation exercise that specifically works the triceps. Isolation exercises involve moving through only one joint – in this case, the elbow joint.
Although other tricep-orientated exercises, such as the close grip bench press and dips, effectively work the triceps, there are other muscles that assist in these exercises as movement occurs through multiple joints.
Both single and multi-joint exercises have been found to be effective for building strength and size (1).
The benefit of the single-joint component of the skull crusher forces the triceps to do all the work which means they receive a large training stimulus and consequently adapt greatly.
Along with the triceps, an array of shoulder stabilizing muscles must activate in order to maintain stability in the shoulder joint.
These muscles do not change in length through a concentric or eccentric contraction, they contract isometrically which means the muscles are contracted however do not change in length.
This isometric contraction, primarily of the rear delts and scapular stabilizers, holds the upper arm in place. This then allows for deep elbow flexion and to place the demand on the triceps.
Detailed below you will find a step by step guide that will allow you to perform the perfect skull crusher.
Step 1
Set up a flat bench and grab a barbell using a shoulder-width grip. Lie back on the bench and press the bar up so that it sits directly over the top of the chest. The arms should be fully extended.
Grip width can be adjusted if necessary to find a grip that suits you best. The key point to ensure that the muscles of the upper back and around the shoulder blades can engage to stabilize the shoulder joint.
Step 2
From this position, keeping the upper arms fixed, bend at the elbows so that the barbell drops down towards the head.
As the barbell lowers, ensure that the elbows are tucked in tightly and do not allow them to flare out. Concentrate on squeezing the bar and keep the upper back muscles engaged throughout this phase.
Step 3
Once the barbell is directly above the cranium with the elbows in deep flexion, let the upper arm move backwards slightly.
Doing this will increase the stretch on the triceps while simultaneously maintaining tension on the muscle at the bottom of the movement.
Step 4
From there, pull the upper arms back to their original position and powerfully extend at the elbow to bring the arms out of deep flexion and return to the straight arm starting position.
Be wary of bringing the elbows too far forward during this step as this will reduce tricep isolation and potentially increase the strain placed on the shoulder.
4 Benefits Associated With Skull Crushers
Most athletes and lifters will benefit from performing skull crushers in one way or another. Listed below you will find 4 of greatest benefits associated with the skull crusher.
1) Increasing Tricep Strength
The most evident benefit of all is the fact that the exercise strengthens the tricep muscles. Having strong triceps will be beneficial for all pressing exercises and for improving shoulder stability.
For the powerlifter, having strong triceps is essential during the bench press. Considering that the triceps control elbow extension (2) they are particularly important during the lock-out.
In Olympic Lifting, having strong triceps will facilitate a more efficient catch in the jerk and the snatch and improve overhead stability.
More generally, improving tricep strength will have a positive impact on elbow joint health.
2) More Efficient lockouts
As stated, the triceps are most responsible for locking out the elbow joint. Having a strong lockout will facilitate a better bench, jerk and snatch.
By focusing on building tricep strength and size, most athletes and lifters will improve their lockout and therefore improve their overall performance.
3) Elbow Joint Health
Appropriate strength training can improve the health of many joints throughout the body and has been found to be useful for improving bone and joint conditions (3).
Providing that volume, intensity and technique is in place, the muscles will adapt to become more efficient at dealing with forces and stress.
This will take a lot of the strain of the connective tissues that surround the joints – ligaments, tendons and cartilage.
Therefore, increasing tricep strength can help to reduce the risk of elbow injury – specifically overuse injuries.
4) Increased Tricep Size
For a number of athletes, improving muscle size is a priority. For those looking to increase arm size, it is important to heavily target the triceps.
When building mass in the arms, most individuals focus too heavily on the biceps. In actuality, the main focus should be on tricep development as the triceps take up two-thirds of the upper arm.
Therefore, increasing the size of the triceps will cause the arms to look much bigger and fuller.
Skull Crusher Variations and Alternatives
In this section, you will find 3 variations and 3 alternatives to allow you to best progress or regress your training where appropriate.
Dumbbell Skull Crushers
One of the more simple changes that can be made to the skull crusher is to use dumbbells instead of a barbell or EZ bar.
The movement required is absolutely identical however using dumbbells forces the arms to work individually. This is particularly useful for any lifter who struggles with strength imbalances or stability issues (4).
Another benefit of the dumbbell variation is that it may allow for a greater range of motion and therefore place even more stress on the triceps.
Incline Bench Skull Crushers
As the name suggests, this variation involves setting a bench on a slight incline before performing the skull crusher. Feel free to use barbells or dumbbells for this variation.
The incline will cause a greater tricep stretch and allow you to target the tricep from a different angle. Both of these can facilitate an improvement in tricep strength and size.
Skull Crusher Negatives
Negatives involve focusing on the eccentric (lowering) phase of the movement. This advanced training method has been found to increase muscle damage and boost hypertrophy (5).
To maximize the eccentric phase of the skull crusher, very slowly lower the bar for a period of 3-5 seconds until it is directly over the head.
Consider using a spotter for safety and also to allow you to maximally work the triceps.
Close Grip Bench Press
The first alternative to target the triceps is a bench press variation. Assuming a close grip on the barbell during a bench press will predominantly recruit the triceps and pecs (chest).
In order to maximize tricep activation, look to tuck the elbows in tightly to the ribcage as the barbell is lowered to the chest.
The close grip bench press is not only great for tricep development but it will also facilitate a better lockout and is the perfect bench alternative for those with shoulder issues.
Dips
Full dips performed on bars or rings are a superb mass building exercise for the chest, shoulders, and arms.
For those who are new to dips, bodyweight will more than suffice to start with. For those who are more advanced, look to use additional resistance through the use of a dipping belt.
Remember, when it comes to strength training, you must always aspire to gradually make things more challenging if you want to continually improve in strength and size
Overhead Tricep Extensions
The final alternative is probably the most similar to the skull crusher in terms of movement. This exercise can be completed using barbells, dumbbells or cables.
The benefit of the overhead tricep extension in comparison to the skull crusher is that it may be less taxing on the elbow joint which is specifically important for those with elbow issues.
As the name suggests, the exercise involves holding the load overhead with straight arms. From that position, the elbows flex to drop the weight down before driving back up to the starting position.
Final Word
In comparison to other tricep focused exercises, the skull crusher reigns supreme. Not only will it effectively increase tricep strength and size but it may also facilitate performance with other lifts.
Therefore, the skull crusher, with its many variations and alternatives, should be seriously considered when designing a strength training program.
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
References:
1-Gentil, Paulo; Soares, Saulo; Bottaro, Martim (2015-6). “Single vs. Multi-Joint Resistance Exercises: Effects on Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy”. Asian Journal of Sports Medicine. 6 (2). doi:10.5812/asjsm.24057. ISSN 2008-000X. PMC 4592763. PMID 26446291.
2-Landin, Dennis; Thompson, Melissa; Jackson, Meghan (2018-4). “Functions of the Triceps Brachii in Humans: A Review”. Journal of Clinical Medicine Research. 10 (4): 290–293. doi:10.14740/jocmr3340w. ISSN 1918-3003. PMC 5827912. PMID 29511416.
3-Westcott, Wayne L. (2012-7). “Resistance training is medicine: effects of strength training on health”. Current Sports Medicine Reports. 11 (4): 209–216. doi:10.1249/JSR.0b013e31825dabb8. ISSN 1537-8918. PMID 22777332.
4-Saeterbakken, Atle H.; van den Tillaar, Roland; Fimland, Marius S. (2011-3). “A comparison of muscle activity and 1-RM strength of three chest-press exercises with different stability requirements”. Journal of Sports Sciences. 29 (5): 533–538. doi:10.1080/02640414.2010.543916. ISSN 1466-447X. PMID 21225489.
5-Vogt, Michael; Hoppeler, Hans H. (June 1, 2014). “Eccentric exercise: mechanisms and effects when used as training regime or training adjunct”. Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md.: 1985). 116 (11): 1446–1454. doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00146.2013. ISSN 1522-1601. PMID 24505103.
2022 Britain’s Strongest Man Results
Tom Stoltman wins the 2022 Britain’s Strongest Man taking four out of the five events.
The 2022 Britain’s Strongest Man was held this weekend on February 26th at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield, England. The event was the first of the year to bring together the most elite Strongman athletes from across Britain to battle across five events. Ultimately, Tom Stoltman won first palce at the 2022 Britain’s Strongest Man.
Tom Stoltman swept the competition and won four out of the five events. This is a repeat victory for Stoltman, who also won the 2021 Britain’s Strongest Man. This marks him as the first Scottish athlete to win two consecutive BSM titles in this century. Stoltman was followed by Pa O’Dwyer in second and Adam Bishop in third.
Derek Dufour has been managing all digital operations on the Generation Iron Network for over six years. He currently manages a team of editors, writers, and designers to provide up-to-date content across the GI Network.
10 Essential Tips to Shed Body Fat For Good
Shed Body Fat with these 10 Tips
Whether you are a professional bodybuilder or someone who has got a gym membership to lose weight, excess body fat is a foe. If losing body fat was easy, everyone who joins a gym would be in shape.
Losing fat can be complicated and since you’re reading this article, we’re assuming you’re toiling with the same problem. The truth of the matter is that there is a lot of misinformation out there about losing fat. No, there’s no exercise that targets fat loss in specific areas.
No, there is no “cheat” to lose fat faster and easier. And yes, the sad reality is that major fat loss comes from your diet rather than exercise. Losing weight is truly a lifestyle change – not a temporary challenge you need to overcome, complete, and then move back to normal.
With that said, the right guidance and a right approach to your diet, training, and recovery can help you achieve your fat loss goals.
1. Don’t Follow a Program
Save yourself the trouble of finding a fat loss program because they don’t work. Programs have a start and an end date, but losing fat forever needs you to make lifestyle changes. Perhaps some sort of cleans or diet program can help initially kick start you into healthy habits – but the key thing to remember here is that true fat loss only comes from permanent lifestyle changes.
This is especially true as you get older. The hard trugh of it is – as you get older you won’t be able to eat like you used to and still stay healthy and thin. That’s just life. It may suck – but it’s important to really come to terms with that fact if you want to see real change. Don’t go on a 60-day low-calorie diet thinking you’ll get rid of the fat for once and all.
2. High-Intensity Workouts
Be it cardio or weightlifting if you want to lose weight, you need to be following HIIT (high-intensity interval training). Shorten your rest periods between exercises and sets, and try to get done with the workouts as soon as possible.
3. Drink a Lot of Water
For most people, excess body fat stores can be due to an increased carb and fat intake which can be the result of excessive eating. Drinking plenty of water can make you feel full and eat less. Water is also the medium in which most cellular activities take place, including the transporting and burning of fat.
4. Eat 5-6 Meals a Day
Most people make the mistake of skipping meals in order to lose weight and shed fat. Skipping meals is counter-productive when it comes to losing weight. You should be eating 5-6 meals a day at regular intervals and calculate your daily macros in line with your macronutrient goals. Eating at regular intervals will keep your metabolism rate high and you will be burning fat throughout the day.
5. Limit Sugar Consumption
Sugar is the main culprit behind putting on weight. Taking in simple carbs (sugar) right after a workout replenishes muscles, but excess sugar consumed at other times will be stored as fat. Replace sugary beverages like soft drinks and juice with water, coffee, or tea.
6. Eat a Balanced Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You eat something after 6-8 hours after you go to sleep and this is why it is called a break-fast. Make sure your breakfast includes all the essential micro and macronutrients and is in line with your daily nutritional goals.
7. Drink Black Coffee Before Working Out
Caffeine can cause the body to use fat for fuel during a workout, rather than glucose. Drink 1-2 cups of black coffee (depending on your tolerance) before a workout. Avoid drinking coffee at other times of the day and skip sugar and cream while you’re at it.
8. Don’t Over-Rely on Fat-Burners
Supplements can be incredibly effective in helping you reach your goals, but you shouldn’t be overly dependent on them. Fat burners aren’t magic pills and you shouldn’t expect them to work on an unhealthy diet.
9. Use Cheat Meals
There is a difference between junk food and cheat meals. Foods like french fries and potato chips are junk food which only consists of calories. Pizza, hamburgers, etc have other nutritional value and are better suited to be a cheat meal. Eating a cheat meal can bump up your metabolism and can make your body work harder to digest the food. Remember to eat the cheat meal for flavor and don’t turn the cheat meal into a cheat day.
10. Meet Your Daily Protein Requirements
If you want to put on muscle mass, you should be consuming at least 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. For example, if you weigh 100 lbs, you should be consuming 100-150 grams of protein daily.
What is your weight loss goal? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
Benefits of Circuit Training: Why You Should Do Them
Incinerate fat with short and intense, but not easy workouts via circuit training. Circuit training is a training method that has been around for hundreds of years. Although its whereabouts came from two British scientists, R.E. Morgan and G.T. Anderson, it’s been around since the 1800s. Decades ago men didn’t have access to dumbbells or barbells, so they would move from exercise to exercise doing bodyweight movements — little did they know they were on to something.
A lot of people would like to know how to burn more calories during their workout. Instead of working out smarter though — meaning less time in the gym — they turn to long steady-state cardio sessions. Instead, try circuit training to put your metabolism into high gear. Below, find out how.
What is Circuit Training?
Circuit training is cycling through different exercises targeting different muscle groups with limited rest. Although you can include some cardio, it’s mainly resistance training. It’s made up of 5-10 different exercises, and you do one exercise at a time until you complete the set of exercises prescribed — this counts as one round. For example, you might go from lunges to inverted rows to dumbbell flyes to ab roller.
It’s made up of multiple rounds and you’ll do one exercise at a time and go through all of them before a round is completed. This is different from supersets, where you’ll work out just two opposing muscle groups at a time for a couple of sets — alternating between each exercise each set.
You can vary the reps, time, rounds, and type of exercise you do with circuit training, but the rest should be minimal. For example, you may go through all the exercises each round as fast as you can and allow yourself a 30-second rest between each round.
Which Muscle Groups Should You Work?
Generally, you’ll be doing a full-body workout with circuit training, although you can limit it to just a couple of muscle groups, depending on the type of split routine you’re on. For example, if you’re on a split routine with a chest and arms day split, then you can create a circuit that works just your chest, triceps, and biceps. You can rotate from cable crossover to skull crushers to preacher curls. This can be a great way to fatigue your muscles at the end of a workout!
Moreover, you can decide to add a quick full-body workout to the end of your workout or decide to dedicate an entire day to just circuit training. The power is in your hands. Circuit training gives you a lot of flexibility.
Calories Burned
You may be wondering how many calories you can burn from circuit training. Well, the good news is that circuit training can allow you to burn more calories per workout, and if combined with interval training, you’ll burn more calories after your workouts (more on that later).
Of course, the exact number of calories you burn depends on numerous factors, including the length of the workout, exercises, and anthropometrics (weight, BMI) of each individual. However, according to Harvard Medical School, a 128-pound individual can burn about 240 calories, a 155-pound person will burn around 298 calories, and a 185-pound person will burn around 355 calories during a 30-minute workout bout. When compared to weightlifting — a 128-pound person will burn about 90 calories, a 155-pound person can burn about 112 calories, and a 185-pound person can burn around 133 calories. So circuit training packs quite the workout if you’re looking to burn more calories!
And that’s not counting the calories you’ll continue to torch throughout the day.
Interval training
While circuit training focuses on working out different muscle groups with a limited amount of rest, interval training focuses on the amount of time you spend on an exercise(s) and the intensity. You’ll alternate periods of moderate-to-high-intensity work with periods of either active or passive rest, aka HIIT (high-intensity interval training). And unlike circuit training, interval training is mainly cardio, although you can combine it with resistance training.
You can do interval training with either one exercise — e.g. burpees — or multiple exercises — e.g. burpees, squat jumps, kettlebell swings.
Interval training is a great combo with circuit training to put your body in a fat-burning state (1).
Circuit Training Workout Example
4 Rounds
Weighted Chin-ups x 8 reps
Dumbbell bench press x 10 reps
Dumbbell lunge x 12 reps
Battle rope x 45 sec.
Resistance band curls x 15 reps
Resistance band twist x 10 reps ea. side
Exercise Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC)
Exercise post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), aka the afterburn effect, is the amount of oxygen required to restore your body to homeostasis, which is your body’s normal resting metabolic rate. And it’s the culprit that allows your body to continuously burn calories after your workout. That’s because your body relies on ATP to fuel muscular activity, which is produced via oxygen either through anaerobic or aerobic pathways. If you’re in a steady-state of oxygen consumption — like steady-state cardio — your aerobic pathways provide most of the ATP needed for the workout. However, since circuit training requires ATP from the anaerobic pathways, the EPOC effect is increased, and the higher the intensity of the workout, the more ATP is required from anaerobic pathways.
Simply put, circuit training yields a greater number of calories burned post-workout than other physical activities (2).
Benefits of Circuit Training
Aside from burning more calories during and after your workout, circuit training also has other benefits worth mentioning. For one, since your workout will be short and intense, that means you’ll save time in the gym (3). You can get a great circuit workout in just 15-30 minutes.
In fact, a 2013 study conducted by the Journal of Physiology found that men who exercise at a moderate intensity doing 40-60 minutes of cycling 5 times a week had similar improvements in their body composition than men who did sprint intervals for less than 12 minutes 3 times a week (4).
Combine circuit training with high-intensity interval training and you’ll improve your physique in less time.
Also, circuit training provides you a good mix of physical fitness, including muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, and improving your body composition (5).
Another benefit of circuit training is that a lot of people follow the same workout routine day in and day out, which can become dull quickly. Well, with circuit training you can mix up your monotonous regimen and have some fun!
Benefits
Saves time
Increases strength
Increases endurance
Burn more calories
Mixes up your workout
Recap
Circuit training is a workout style with minimum rest that mixes up multiple exercises that work different body parts. It can be a quick workout and increase your strength and endurance simultaneously. Plus, it catapults your body into a fat-torching state long after your workout.
Do you enjoy circuit training? Let us know and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
References
1 – Wingfield, H. L., Smith-Ryan, A. E., Melvin, M. N., Roelofs, E. J., Trexler, E. T., Hackney, A. C., Weaver, M. A., & Ryan, E. D. (2015). The acute effect of exercise modality and nutrition manipulations on post-exercise resting energy expenditure and respiratory exchange ratio in women: a randomized trial. Sports medicine – open, 1(1), 11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-015-0010-3
2 – Jung, W. S., Hwang, H., Kim, J., Park, H. Y., & Lim, K. (2019). Effect of interval exercise versus continuous exercise on excess post-exercise oxygen consumption during energy-homogenized exercise on a cycle ergometer. Journal of exercise nutrition & biochemistry, 23(2), 45–50. https://doi.org/10.20463/jenb.2019.0016
3 – Gillen, J. B., & Gibala, M. J. (2014). Is high-intensity interval training a time-efficient exercise strategy to improve health and fitness?. Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism = Physiologie appliquee, nutrition et metabolisme, 39(3), 409–412. https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2013-0187
4 – Cocks, M., Shaw, C. S., Shepherd, S. O., Fisher, J. P., Ranasinghe, A. M., Barker, T. A., Tipton, K. D., & Wagenmakers, A. J. (2013). Sprint interval and endurance training are equally effective in increasing muscle microvascular density and eNOS content in sedentary males. The Journal of physiology, 591(3), 641–656. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2012.239566
5 – Romero-Arenas, S., Martínez-Pascual, M., & Alcaraz, P. E. (2013). Impact of resistance circuit training on neuromuscular, cardiorespiratory and body composition adaptations in the elderly. Aging and disease, 4(5), 256–263. https://doi.org/10.14336/AD.2013.0400256
Antoine Vaillant Reveals Heart Issues Are Keeping Him From Competing
Antoine Vaillant speaks on his heart health.
It appears that Antoine Vaillant is being forced out of bodybuilding competition due to heart issues. The bodybuilder talked about his recent issues and his frustrating journey to discover what’s going on with his heart.
Having health issues keep you from doing what you love can be a truly irritating prospect. Competitive athletes have to deal with injuries all the time that prevent them from performing. A torn muscle or a broken bone can be a truly debilitating injury that can keep you from training and executing when it’s game time. But what can be even worse is having a health issue that isn’t so easily fixed. For Antoine Vaillant that very issue is his heart health.
A talented bodybuilder with a ton of experience and up side, Antoine Vaillant has a great deal left in the tank. Unfortunately he’s been unable to return to the bodybuilding stage due to health issues revolving around his heart.
Heart Issues Explained
In a recent video, Antoine Vaillant explained what is going on with his heart issues and how it’s kept him from competing. Vaillant touched on the fact that his initial tests were favorable. Then he did the calcium scoring tests and things began to look grim.
“Then I did the calcium scoring test to see if there would be markers of possible, potential plaque buildup and clogged arteries and things of the sort. As Dr. Khan hooked me out with this and that, I went to this clinic and did this CT scan, it’s like a big donut, a big MRI thing, a deep one. I hate those.
“So it was just like a little donut you go in there, and it was without the dye for the contrast. It was just a scan to get the calcium score.
“He was kind of like; well, I was freaking out after. He wasn’t freaking out, but he told me after that we need to do further testing because I’m in the 99 percentile. I said, “what does that mean?” He said, for my age and gender, I’m into 99 percent, I’m in the 1 percent, so 99 percent of people that are my age and sex have a better result than me. So what the hell.
“Anyways, it said for my section of age or the 99 percentile or whatever, that I would have a heart attack possible, or a heart attack in 3-5 years.”
Truly frightening stuff for Vaillant.
To hear what else Antoine Vaillant had to say on his current predicament, see the video below.
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.
8 Closely-Guarded Secrets of Guys with Abs, Revealed!
“I don’t want six-pack abs” – No-one ever.
Abs are one of the most sought-after muscle groups. Besides making you look super fit, a shredded midsection can make you a hit among the women, or at least this is what Instagram Reels makes us believe.
Quick question: Have you ever seen a Greek god statue without a chiseled midriff? Heck, superhero costumes come with six-pack engravings.
The grown men in costumes want the world to know they have a shredded abdomen under the suit. We cannot think of another reason why a superhero would need abs drawn on his outfit. We are pretty sure it does not help fight the bad guys, but we digress.
Carving a Greek god-like midsection requires a lot of patience, persistence, and determination. More than all of this, it requires you to watch what you put in your mouth throughout the day. It came out wrong, but we hope you get what we mean.
So, you have a big day coming up in eight weeks, and you want to sport a six-pack for the special occasion? We hate to be the ones breaking this to you, but you are never going to look like a cover model in such a short period, especially if you have never hit a gym or followed a strict diet plan before.
If you are a fitness noob, the only chance of a physique transformation you have in such limited time is to make best friends with a guy who is into selling juice. Just so you know, we are not talking about fruit juices here.
Related: Best on the Planet! Physiques with Picture Perfect 6-Pack Abs
8 Closely-Guarded Secrets of Guys with Abs
Carving a six-pack is much more than a weekend project. It requires a lot of trial and error, and individuals usually need to follow a personalized approach to see optimal results.
But if you study the techniques and habits of people with a shredded midsection, you will find a lot of similarities. They might be eating different amounts of calories in a day or performing different exercises, but they are usually following the same principles.
Decrypting the Secrets Behind Building Abs
Here are eight totally doable things guys with a ripped midsection do every day of the week:
1. Start with You!
No two individuals have the same body composition. Let’s say you want to have a midsection like Wolverine. But before you start your transformation journey, you need to complete a very important step. No, we are not talking about buying adamantium from the black market.
To ensure an effective transformation, you need to do the preliminary work. Note down your current body fat percentage, weight, and goal numbers.
Put down your current diet plan into a calorie tracking app and figure out your daily caloric intake and the macronutrient breakdown. This and not crunches should be the first exercise you do if you want to build picture-perfect abs.
On top of that, many rookies make the mistake of choosing a super-strict diet program right out of the gates. Building abs requires you to drop your body fat considerably that, if done sustainably, can take some time. You want to follow a diet that consists of your favorite food (healthy) and fits your environment.
You do not want to pick a diet from YouTube that has you eating exotic foods that are not available in your neighborhood or relies heavily on seasonal fruits that can burn a hole in your pocket.
Check Out: Zac Perna’s Guide To Picture Perfect Abs
2. Crunches (alone) are Not Going to Cut it
If you think you can crunch your way to a six-pack, you are in for a rude shock. By the way, when we say “crunch,” we are referring to all the abdominal exercises – leg raise, plank, Russian twist, and the works.
Building a solid core requires much more than performing these exercises in isolation. Your core stabilizes the entire body and helps transfer power between your lower and upper limbs, and training it that way yields the best results.
Compound exercises that challenge your full-body stability and power should be a constant in your ab training routine. The clean and jerk and snatch are a couple of compound lifts you should be doing if you want a shredded midriff.
Other multi-joint lifts like barbell front squat and kettlebell goblet squat are also great for building a strong anterior chain.
3. Do NOT Be Afraid of Carbs
Many fitness newbies make the mistake of demonizing carbs. They think the bread loaf is the reason why they are not able to build abs. Only when they cut out the villain, can they have the six-pack of their dreams, or so they think.
Contrary to what most people think, carbs from nutrient-dense whole foods can give you the energy to perform high-intensity workouts, recover properly, drop body-fat percentage, and, in the end, develop a six-pack.
As per research, high-quality carbs can help boost endurance performance, burn fat, and build muscle.
Now, the next logical question would be – If you are just starting your fitness journey, how many carbs should you be eating every day?
While every individual is different and might need a different amount of carbs to see optimal results, 1g of carbs per pound of your bodyweight per day is a good starting point for most abs-chasing guys.
We highly recommend taking a professional’s help when you are starting out. It will help shorten your learning curve drastically. While we understand it might cost a little money upfront, it will pay dividends in the long run.
4. Be Like Johnie Walker, Always “Keep Walking”
Let us let you in a little secret. Guys with a six-pack do not train their abs every day or work out every day, for that matter. But one thing all of them do consistently is move.
The WFH lifestyle has turned many people into couch potatoes. Walking from their room to their car and from their car to their office was the only workout most of these people got pre-COVID. Now that it is gone, they spend most of their day hunched over a computer screen or phone.
Homo sapiens evolved into hunters and gatherers. Our bodies were not designed to be completely sedentary. Sitting for long durations can contribute to tightness, poor blood and nutrient transport to your muscles, and a sluggish metabolism.
If you cannot go out for a daily walk on your rest days, make sure you are doing at least 15 minutes of stretching. It will help ease your muscles and get your blood pumping.
Besides, you should make the most of your rest days and focus on optimizing your recovery process. Getting your blood flowing throughout your body is key to recovery. Any movement that gets your limbs to stretch through a large range of motion at a relatively low intensity can be beneficial.
Next Read: Debunked: The Top 5 Myths About Six Pack Abs
5. Food is Your Fuel
When training to build abs, many people like to starve themselves. Eating too few calories can be counterproductive to your six-pack goal. Consuming fewer calories than your body needs to function optimally can put you in a catabolic state.
When you are in a catabolic state, you are breaking down or losing overall mass, both fat and muscle. Your body does this to sustain its energy reserves.
So, burning muscle by being in a catabolic state and building abs do not go hand-in-hand. If you had an intense training session, do not hold yourself back from a high-calorie meal. It might be exactly what your body needs at that point.
6. Sleep Your Way To a Six-Pack
Working out does not give you abs. It helps carve your abs, but it is not the be-all and end-all of building a six-pack. Everyone has abs, but most people have their abs hidden underneath a layer of body fat.
To build a shredded mid-riff, you need to fix your diet, train your core optimally, and rest. You break muscle tissue when you are training in the gym. Your muscles grow back bigger, stronger, and more defined when you are in deep sleep.
On top of that, lack of sleep puts your body under stress and has a detrimental impact on your metabolism and hormonal balance, resulting in increased appetite and accumulation of abdominal fat
If your goal is to build a six-pack, you need to sleep at least seven hours every night. However, if you are unable to log the seven hours in a single night, make up for it by napping during the day.
Next Read: Build Superhero Abs with these 5 Routines
7. Protein is Your Savior
Protein is the building block for your muscles. It is no secret that protein is the most important macronutrient when it comes to building muscle mass.
There is a reason why most shredded guys have protein in every meal. Not only does protein make you feel full for long periods, but it also helps in burning body fat, even when you are not physically active.
Your preferred protein sources should include turkey breast, soybeans, red meat, and mung beans. They are rich in the powerful muscle-building amino acid leucine.
8. Cut Out the Junk
Nothing kills an ab-building dream faster than junk food. If you are setting out on your transformation journey, you should avoid processed foods at all costs.
Processed foods are high in refined and added sugars, sodium, fat, and other inflammatory chemicals that can interfere with your ability to sculpt a six-pack.
Also, calories from processed food can be more fattening than those from whole foods. Refined foods are processed to the point where they are digested quickly, and the body can absorb more of these calories. This helps add to McDonald’s bottom line and your waistline.
But what about cheat meals, you ask?
Well, forget about eating junk food until you have visible and defined abs.
Related: How To Get A Six-Pack (Post Pandemic Edition)
Bonus
Six-Pack Ab Workout
There are plenty of reasons to want a strong set of abs. Since they are incredibly difficult to carve, one of these reasons could be that they provide a fitness challenge.
To sculpt your midsection, you need to incorporate exercises that target all four major muscle groups in your midsection – the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, internal obliques, and external obliques.
Here is an ab workout you can do at your home that will help you build a shredded midriff:
Circuit: 3-rounds
Bicycle Crunch: 10 reps, no rest
Side Hip Bridge: 10 reps (on each side), no rest
Reverse Crunch: 10 reps, no rest
Air Chop: 10 reps, no rest
Shoulder Tap: 10 reps (each side), no rest
Extended Arm Plank Bird Dog: 10 reps (each side), no rest
Extended Arm Plank To T-Raise: 10 reps (each side), no rest
Plank to Toe Touch: 10 reps (each side), no rest
Russian Twist: 10 reps (each side), no rest
Hollow Hold: 30-seconds, 1-minute rest
Six-Pack Ab Diet
Here is a sample 8-week six-pack diet plan to help you build the abs of your dreams.
Note: This diet is designed for people weighing around 170 lbs. You can follow the same diet if you are in the 160-180 lbs range.
Phase 1: Weeks 1-4
Meal 1: Breakfast
4 egg whites
1 whole egg
3 oz chicken breast
½ cup green pepper
1 medium apple
Meal 2: Snack
Coconut-Lime Chicken Bites with Baked Zucchini Fries
Meal 3: Lunch
4 oz turkey breast, boneless, skinless
½ cup brown cooked rice
1 cup broccoli, steamed
½ large grapefruit
Meal 4: Snack
⅔ cup cottage cheese
¼ cup blueberries
10 almonds, chopped
Meal 5: Dinner
Spicy Citrus Shrimp with Quinoa
Meal 6: Bedtime
20g whey protein isolate
½ tbsp peanut butter, natural
Daily Totals:
Calories: 1,480
Protein: 169g
Carbs: 119g
Fat: 40g
Phase 2: Weeks 5-8
Meal 1: Breakfast
3 oz chicken breast, boneless, skinless
3 egg whites
1 whole egg
½ cup green pepper
6 almonds (as a side)
Meal 2: Snack
Purple Sweet Potato Parfait
Meal 3: Lunch
4 oz turkey breast, boneless, skinless
½ cup brown cooked rice
1 cup broccoli, steamed
½ large grapefruit
Meal 4: Snack
⅔ cup cottage cheese
¼ cup blueberries
10 almonds, chopped
Meal 5: Meal Dinner
Chicken Kababs with Mediterranean Brown Rice
Meal 6: Bedtime
20g whey protein isolate
½ tbsp peanut butter, natural
Daily Totals:
Calories: 1,437
Protein: 164g
Carbs: 124g,
Fat: 34g
Phase 3: Weeks 9-12
Meal 1: Breakfast
½ cup oatmeal, uncooked
20g chocolate whey protein
½ tbsp coconut oil
Meal 2: Snack
½ cup egg whites
3 oz chicken breast, boneless, skinless
½ cup green peppers, chopped
½ large grapefruit
Meal 3: Lunch
1 cup broccoli
½ cup cooked brown rice
4 oz turkey breast, boneless, skinless
Meal 4: Snack
Baked Sole with Grapefruit Avocado Salsa and ½ cup brown rice
Meal 5: Dinner
Sweet Chili-Lime Barbecue Chicken with Cucumber Salad
Meal 6: Bedtime
6 egg whites
1 cup baby spinach
Daily Totals:
Calories: 1,311
Protein: 152g
Carbs: 122g,
Fat: 24g
Which is your favorite ab exercise? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
Tamer Barakat Profile & Stats
The biography, life, and accomplishments of Tamer Barakat
Tamer Barakat is an Egyptian American professional International Natural Bodybuilding Association (INBA)/Professional Natural Bodybuilding Association (PNBA) natural bodybuilder born on January 15, 1971. He’s the reigning Natural Olympia Classic Physique Masters champion. Despite a 40-60 lbs weight disadvantage, Barakat also placed 2nd in Men’s Bodybuilding Grand Masters and made the top five of the Men’s Bodybuilding Open division at Natural Olympia.
Moreover, Tamer Barakat is the first Vegan to sign a multi-media contract with Generation Iron and Iron Man Magazine.
Below is a complete breakdown of Tamer Barakat’s profile, stats, biography, training, and diet regimen.
Full Name: Tamer Barakat
Weight
Height
Date Of Birth
140-160 lbs
5’4″
01/15/1971
Division
Era
Nationality
Classic Physique, Bodybuilding
2010
Egyptian American
Biography
Image via Instagram @ironbulk15
Tamer Barakat was born and raised in Egypt on January 15, 1971. Barakat was drawn to sports from a young age. The first sport Barakat played was football (soccer), and by the time he was a teenager, Barakat was competing at the national level in judo. As part of Barakat’s judo training, he lifted weights. Tamer Barakat fell in love with weightlifting and the transformation his body made in the gym.
In Barakat’s late teens, he started bodybuilding and loved the camaraderie of the sport. From 19-21, Barakat competed and won national-level amateur competitions. Since Tamer Barakat was a natural (no doping), he was discouraged at 21 once he realized he couldn’t compete with fair competition. Although, he continued to train since he loved being in the gym.
Barakat relocated to the USA at the age of 27 for work. However, it wasn’t until age 49 that Barakat found the INBA PNBA and natural bodybuilding. Ironically, Barakat thought his time competing in bodybuilding was done, but it was just the beginning. Tamer Barakat stated:
“I always wondered why I stayed consistent with my training and nutrition for that long, for almost 30 years since my last comp at the age of 21, now I know why!”
Competition History
2020 Muscle Beach:
Classic Physique and Bodybuilding (earned pro cards) – 1st
2020 Natural Olympia:
Classic Physique Masters – 1st
Classic Physique Open – 3rd
2021 Iron Man Magazine International:
Bodybuilding Masters – 1st
Classic Physique Open – 1st
2021 Wolfpack Classic:
Bodybuilding Grand Masters – 1st
2021 World Cup:
Bodybuilding Open – 1st
Classic Physique Open – 2nd
2021 Natural Olympia:
Classic Physique Masters – 1st
Bodybuilding Grand Masters – 2nd
Classic Physique Open – 4th
Bodybuilding Open – 5th
Workout Plan
Tamer Barkat is a firm believer that you should switch up your routine and add variety to your movements for continuous progress. Therefore, he changes his workout every 4-6 weeks.
Barakat does a five-day split routine during the off-season – one muscle group per day. Additionally, he’ll do a 12-cycle strength training, hypertrophy (size), and pump training cycle – split into four weeks. The first four weeks are focused on heavyweight in the 3-6 rep range. Then, Barakat uses moderate weight in the next phase and increases the reps to 8-12 reps. In the last four weeks of Barakat’s 12-week cycle, he’ll reduce the weight and ramp up the sets to 12-15 reps, including supersets and drop sets. To help recover, he’ll do a de-load week, then repeat the 12-week cycle – with new/modified exercises.
As the season approaches, Barakat will switch to a push/pull/leg split five days a week. And he’ll switch up those movements every six weeks for continued muscle growth.
Tamer Barakat also likes to incorporate Olympic lifting movements such as the clean and jerk and snatches during his off-season training 1-2x per week. He believes this will trigger a higher neuroendocrine response and help him gain more strength.
Below is a clip of Barakat performing the power cleans and snatches on social media.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CWo4OMDvQ2j/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
What Are Tamer Barakat’s Favorite Exercises?
Squat: Considered the king of all exercises and target your quads, hamstrings, and glutes.
Deadlift: Another compound lift some deem to be the king of all exercise. The deadlift targets your glutes, hamstrings, and back.
Curl: This isolation movement works your biceps.
Nutrition
Tamer Barakat is a vegan. According to Barakat:
“I am Vegan for the animals, so everything is plant-based. I mostly eat the same thing daily, whether it’s in or off-season, the difference is the quantity of food. I get most of my protein from my Vegan protein supplement, usually, mix it with oatmeal and/or drink it as a shake, rest of my meals are typically a mix of rice/quinoa, mushrooms, salad, and seitan/tofu/tempeh….etc [sic]”
Personal Life
When Tamer Barakat isn’t prepping for shows, he loves spending time with his family – wife, two teenagers, three dogs, and two cats. They enjoy traveling and quality time at home. Barakat also likes to read, paint, and relax after a strenuous day of work and training.
Cedric McMillan Will Not Compete At 2022 Arnold Classic
Cedric McMillan becomes the latest bodybuilder to withdraw from the Arnold Classic.
The 2022 Arnold Classic is just over one week away but there continues to be some changes to the Men’s Open lineup. Cedric McMillan has become the latest bodybuilder to pull his name out of the event scheduled for March 3-6 in Columbus, OH. McMillan was preparing to appear on stage during the Arnold Classic but Milos Sarcev confirmed with Jay Cutler that he will not be ready in time.
McMillan is a former champion of the Arnold Classic in 2017 and was preparing to make a run at bringing back his title. In 2020, McMillan fell a bit placing sixth before he was forced to miss the show last year with an injury. McMillan still made the trip to Columbus in September to appear as part of the broadcast team.
As recently as last week, McMillan was posting former posing routines and fans were looking forward to seeing him on stage once again.
“Way back in 2009, on stage at about 252 (still too big for classic, so dont say that)… they said “stop posing like that, it’s not 1980!” And they said “get bigger!”Thanks to @blackskullusa for finding this, it brought back so many memories ❤”
Cedric McMillan has been dealing with different injuries and issues since the 2020 season. This includes a broken hand and broken collar bone. The injuries continued into 2021 and he was forced to miss the action in Columbus last year. McMillan also had complications with COVID-19 that impacted his heart and forced him to miss a significant amount of time.
McMillan now becomes the fifth competitor to pull his name out of the show dropping the number of athletes to nine.
2021 Arnold Classic Lineup
William Bonac (Netherlands)
Maxx Charles (United States)
Brandon Curry (United States)
Samson Dauda (United Kingdom)
Regan Grimes (Canada)
Steve Kuclo (United States)
Fabio Giga Rezende (Brazil)
Justin Rodriguez (United States)
Brett Wilkin (United States)
With Cedric McMillan pulling his name out of the competition, this leave nine bodybuilders vying for the Arnold Classic title in Men’s Open. It began when Rafael Brandao withdrew from the competition for undisclosed reasons. Then, both Nathan De Asha and Mohamed Shaaban were forced to pull out due to injuries. Akim Williams was the most recent to withdraw just last week.
After healing from the virus, McMillan returned to the stage during the Legion Sports Pro. McMillan was not part of the first callout and did not return for the finals. He was also scheduled to appear during the Egypt’s KO Pro show but did not make it. The Arnold Classic was supposed to be a return to stage but fans will have to wait a little longer.
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Top CBD Workout Products For Pain-Free Gains & Recovery
Work for pain-free gains with these great CBD workout supplements and applications.
Our workouts can be grueling and with such heavy weight being lifted, our muscles and joints start to take a beating. While we stretch and try to recover as best we can, what we don’t realize much of the time is that CBD supplements are just waiting for us to use them. Whether it be a tincture, topical, capsule, or gummy, CBD workout supplements are designed to work for pain-free gains and enhance our recovery ten-fold.
CBD continues to grow in popularity and is one of those supplements that doesn’t seem to slow down. As more and more companies enter the CBD market, it can be daunting to search through to find the best products around.
But certain CBD companies are starting to separate themselves from the pack and we’ve been taking notes. With what CBD products can do for your pain-free gains and post-workout recovery goals, we want to make sure you know what the top CBD products are so you too can continue to thrive in the gym.
Let’s get into CBD a little more and see what makes this supplement so great. We’ll talk tinctures, topicals, gummies, and vapes so you know what products are out there and we’ll share with you a great product that you will absolutely love for those muscle and joint pain-relieving needs.
Benefits Of CBD Products
CBD products have plenty of benefits that can work for all your goals but you may not know of some. When it comes to CBD oil and other forms of application and what they can do, it’s important to note that this differs from THC, which is the high inducing component found in the cannabis plant. CBD is simply just one component of the plant that provides high-free support so you can feel great and take advantage of a natural remedy.
Benefits of CBD include:
Relieve muscle and joint pain: Helps by regulating the endocannabinoid system in which pain is a function and relieves sore muscles with anti-inflammatory properties (1).
Reduce anxiety and depression: A more natural approach to treating mental health, it can act on the brain’s receptors to transmit serotonin, which makes you feel good and relieve stress (2).
Promotes better sleep: Taking CBD can help you sleep through the night and improve the overall quality of your sleep and work for pain relief post-workout (3).
Support immune system: Keeps your immune system alert and allows antibodies to react effectively to anything foreign especially after a strenuous workout (4).
These are just a few of the many benefits associated with CBD but important one’s nonetheless.
Related: Best CBD For Muscle & Joint Recovery After A Workout
Top CBD Workout Supplements and Applications
Let’s take a look at the top CBD workout supplements and different applications to get an idea of what we’re dealing with and what you should look for to help with delayed onset muscle soreness and the overall recovery process for those post-workout needs.
Tinctures & CBD Oil
CBD tinctures and essential oils are a good choice for those wanting a fast-acting option that can also be mixed into other drinks. With absorption and potency at higher levels, people like a CBD tincture and essential oils for the fact that it helps a little faster than some other choices. A CBD tincture with great flavors is a good choice for CBD users looking for pre-workout or post-workout recovery.
Gummies
Who doesn’t love to snack on a gummy? For those who enjoy tasty gummies, they gravitate towards CBD infused gummies for that reason alone. They taste good and you can get a healthy dose of CBD included with it to help with that next workout or everyday functioning to aid your muscles and joints.
Vaping
While vaping has its controversy and medical professionals are working to study this further, people enjoy vaping CBD for it is fast-acting and can get to work faster than other forms. For those who need an oral fixation or are trying to stop smoking, this is also a viable option for them. Companies have gone to great lengths to make sure their products are safe and effective and can provide relief so you feel fully recovered and have more energy.
Topicals
CBD topicals are a go to choice for athletes because you can apply right to those muscles and really feel it work. By focusing on a great topical to see the best gains, you will find that those muscle and joint needs will be relieved as you gently massage a topical into the affected area.
How CBD Can Enhance Performance & Pain-Free Gains
Our performance is dependent on how we feel and our muscle growth and recovery matter. Professional athletes have begun endorsing these CBD companies for these powerful effects as well because they certainly beat taking prescription drugs.
When our muscle and joints are tight and stiff, we just don’t move the way we want to. That is problematic and will limit our gains by working against us even with a good workout.
Related: How CBD Helps Boost Your Overall Athletic Performance
So, What Can It Do For Me?
By using a CBD supplement, you give yourself a great chance to take advantage of recovery to relieve muscle pain and relax those joints and subsequent inflammation, while also allowing your body to take in the great benefits of CBD, like better sleep, immunity, and cognitive functioning. With the right CBD product on your supplement shelf, you will see pain-free gains in no time as CBD is great for many athletes and their workout goals.
Featured CBD Workout Product
We wanted to share a great CBD topical and muscle recovery supplement with you from Level Select, a reputable and honest CBD company seeking to make the best products around to aid in your workout and recovery goals.
This CBD sports cream is perfect for those post-workout recovery needs and will ease inflammation in muscle tissue and work to target muscle and joint recovery for the best gains possible.
Level Select CBD Level 2 Sports Cream
Level Select CBD Level 2 Sports Cream is a fast-absorbing formula to relieve pain and improve performance.
Level Select CBD Level 2 Sports Cream is a great CBD topical designed to deliver fast-absorbing support to relieve muscle soreness and is a top joint relief CBD cream on the market for targeted pain relief and anti-inflammatory effects.
With 600mg of CBD, this will target the affected area while also soothing and softening your skin. Level Select is a great company only seeking to produce the highest quality CBD supplements and is the best CBD pain cream for muscle and joint post-workout recovery for the best muscle growth.
Price: $59.99
Check out our list of the Best CBD Supplements for more great pain-free gains and anti-inflammatory effects!
Wrap Up
The best CBD workout supplements have the ability to change how you feel and the body’s ability to move when it comes to sport specific and functional movements of our muscles. Able to relieve muscle and joint pain while also working to reduce stress and inflammation, these CBD products are perfect for pain-free gains while also giving you the best chance at the most effective workouts. CBD provides the best gains for our joints and muscles while also relieving stress, boosting energy, fighting inflammation, and enhancing every workout.
Check out some of these awesome CBD supplements and see what they can do for your training, performance, and overall health and wellness today.
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
Boyaji, S.; et al. (2020). “The Role of Cannabidiol (CBD) in Chronic Pain Management: An Assessment of Current Evidence”. (source)
Skelley, J.; et al. (2020). “Use of cannabidiol in anxiety and anxiety-related disorders”. (source)
Shannon, S.; et al. (2019). “Cannabidiol in Anxiety and Sleep: A Large Case Series”. (source)
Nichols, J.; et al. (2020). “Immune Responses Regulated by Cannabidiol”. (source)