Tag: Originals
Straight Facts: Are Pain Killers Like Aspirin Killing Your Gains?
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Jerry Brainum breaks down recent studies that seem to prove certain pain killers block hypertrophy and muscle protein synthesis. Should you be worried?
When training seriously in the gym for size and strength – it’s inevitable that pain and injuries will occur. While most will always aim to avoid serious injuries like a pec tear, wear and tear is unavoidable. So it’s common for bodybuilders to use over the counter pain killers like aspirin to help reduce soreness, aches, and pains. But recent studies show that drugs like aspirin may be blocking muscle hypertrophy. Should this be a real concern for serious bodybuilders? In our latest episode of Straight Facts, Jerry Brainum breaks down NSAID painkillers and whether or not they could be hurting gains in bodybuilding.
There are a wide variety of pain reducing drugs on the market. The ones that make headlines most often these days are opiates due to their addictive nature and the massive health concern they’ve called. On the other end of the spectrum you have anti-inflammatory pain killers – these are called NSAIDs in the medical community. Aspirin and Ibuprofen would fall under this category.
Nearly all of us had turned NSAIDs at one point or another – whether to reduce a headache or a sore body part. It’s been a household staple for decades. However, a recent study seems to show that NSAIDs have a side effect that reduces muscle hypertrophy and protein synthesis. That sentence alone will make serous lifters and bodybuilders shudder with fear. Do these drugs actually reduce gains? Jerry Brainum, being passionate in the bodybuilding community, decided to use his knowledge to put the study to the test – and see if these findings will really have an affect on a bodybuilder’s lifestyle.
Do NSAID pain relief drugs reduce muscle hypertrophy?
Based on a recent study, it does appear that NSAID drugs do slightly block muscle hypertrophy. However, Jerry Brainum points out that the medical communities relationship with NSAID substances has always been a roller coaster. In fact, there have been studies in the past that claimed the same thing – only for newer studies to deny it. With each passing decade, the scientific community discovers new findings that change their outlook on these drugs.
To add to the confusion, there also seem to be conflicting studies depending on the age of the individual. A study showed that young adult subjects (20s and 30s) had an increase in muscle mass and hypertrophy upon using NSAIDs. On the flip side, older individuals (50+) showcased an increase in muscle growth upon using NSAIDs. How is this possible?
Jerry Brainum explains that as we get older, we start to experience systemic inflammation. This kind of inflammation can get so bad that it leads to very serious conditions in old age. It’s the reason why we have the stereotype, “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” Typically, it’s vital for those growing order to add resistance training to their health regiment. It can literally stave off this systemic inflammation and make you a more able and mobile older individual.
So what does this have to do with NSAIDs? It seems that the reason older individuals experienced an increase in muscle growth while using NSAIDs comes down to the benefits of reducing systemic inflammation. The contradiction between younger and older individuals in this study is not a mistake. The NSAIDs likely do still block muscle hypertrophy – but for older individuals the benefit of reducing systemic inflammation leads to more optimal workouts. Thus better overall hypertrophy.
So should bodybuilders avoid NSAIDs like Aspirin?
Ultimately, Jerry Brainum believes that the affect NSAIDs have on muscle hypertrophy is too minimal to truly kill gains. This study also would need further research and follow up to become more reliable. However, if you want to be safe rather than sorry, Brainum has some advice to avoid any negative ramifications.
If you are going to use pain killers like NSAIDs to reduce pain – simply wait at least four to five hours before taking an aspirin. This will allow the benefits of training to take their effect – if you still feel pain after that, the drugs will do their job reducing inflammation with little damage to your muscle growth.
Wrap Up
Painkillers such as aspirin has been a part of normal life for many in the world. So it could be shocking to find out they have an effect on bodybuilding physiques. While this is likely a game changer for anyone competing in the sport, Jerry Brainum’s breakdown provides insight into whether or not this had real world practical ramifications. You can watch his full comments in our latest episode of Straight Facts above! Don’t forget to watch new episodes every Wednesday only on the Generation Iron Fitness Network.
Veronica Malloy: How To Ensure Bodybuilding Supplements Pass Drug Tests
PNBA Natural Figure Competitor Veronica Malloy goes into detail about supplements and passing WADA compliant drug tests.
The Professional Natural Bodybuilding Association prides itself on being rigorous on keeping the league completely natural. They apply WADA compliant testing to all athletes who compete – to ensure that the competitions are fair and all-natural. But this dedication goes beyond the “big bad” drugs such as steroids and insulin. WADA has a long list of substances that are considered banned – even if they are legal in the United States and in other countries. So how does an athlete, who wants to be natural, avoid failing a drug test while using legal supplements? In our latest GI Exclusive interview, we talk in-depth with pro natural Figure competitor Veronica Malloy on the best way to find WADA compliant supplements.
Veronica Malloy is not only a PNBA natural competitor – she’s also a team captain who helps work with the league to ensure that it stays fair and drug free. This means that she can work with the league and request testing on athletes that she finds “suspicious” of using banned substances.
So it’s safe to say that Veronica Malloy has a deep knowledge about natural bodybuilding, the INBA/PNBA, and WADA compliant substances for bodybuilding. She’s currently preparing for the INBA/PNBA Pro/Am World Championships in Florence, Italy. It’s one of the largest competitions in the natural bodybuilding season – and one that provides many pros an opportunity to qualify for the Natural Olympia.
That’s why we connected with Veronica just under two weeks before she competes. We wanted to check in on her contest prep, highlight her bodybuilding origins, and discuss the trending topics in natural bodybuilding today.
Banned substances and compliant bodybuilding supplements
One such topic is bodybuilding supplements and passing drug tests. While the INBA/PNBA league focuses on drug tests to prevent substances such as steroids into the sport – it also has a long list of other banned (but legal) substances decided upon by WADA. Drug tests compliant with WADA follow the same strict rigorous rules used by the Olympics. It’s the best of the best when focusing on keeping the sport fair and safe.
The supplement industry is bigger than ever in fitness. But not all bodybuilding supplements use the same ingredients. In fact, there are many supplements that have ingredients that would fail a WADA compliant drug test. This puts more responsibility on the athletes to ensure they stay fully clean when purchasing supplements.
We asked Veronica Malloy how a bodybuilder, who wants to be natural, can ensure the supplements they take are truly all-natural as per WADA’s ruleset. Veronica admits that this responsibility is a part of the work an INBA/PNBA athlete needs to put into their career. It’s the same kind of effort that needs to be focused on as training and overall nutrition.
Unfortunately, WADA does not have a list of compliant supplement brands. So the bodybuilder needs to do research, use the WADA website, and learn what supplements will pass drug tests. When performing at the top level of athletic ability – being natural becomes a key responsibility of the athlete. Veronica mentions past examples of athletes who failed drug tests – not because they wanted to cheat with steroids – but because they were unaware the supplements they took included banned substances in the ingredients
Despite intentions, the INBA/PNBA will not allow an athlete to compete, or retain their title, if they fail a drug test. They also end up on the wall of shame. This is why Veronica Malloy suggests that the best tactic for natural bodybuilders is to do the research, find a supplement they trust, and stick with it. With that experience over time – it becomes easier to know which supplement brands not only pass the drug test but also work best for their physique needs.
Wrap Up
Veronica Malloy talked about many other topics during our nearly half hour interview. She discusses how steroids uniquely affect women competitors in untested leagues and why she decided to stay all-natural. She also discusses the upcoming Pro/Am World Championships in Florence, Italy.
You can watch Veronica Malloy’s full comments in our GI Exclusive interview above. And make sure to stick around this weekend for our coverage of the World Championships event!
The Mike O’Hearn Show: Tommy Chong Shares Schwarzenegger & Golden Era Bodybuilder Weed Stories
Episode 3: Mike O’Hearn interviews Tommy Chong about his unexpected connection to the bodybuilding world.
Tommy Chong is most famous as being part of the comedic duo – Cheech & Chong. The stoner comedies and Chong’s love of marijuana remained a staple of his personal through to today. But many people may know that Chong also had a close relationship with bodybuilding and the Golden Era bodybuilders of Pumping Iron fame. That’s why Mike O’Hearn brought on Tommy Chong for a full length interview to discuss his past, his discovery of bodybuilding, and share a few funny bodybuilding weed stories including greats like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Zabo Koszewski.
Tommy Chong might not have the physique of a bodybuilder – but his connection to the sport actually runs pretty deep. He respects greatly the focus, dedication, and mentality of the bodybuilder lifestyle. He hung out at Gold’s Gym, was trained by Vince Gironda, and spent time with the Golden Era bodybuilders such as Zabo Koszewski, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Tom Platz.
Underneath it all – Tommy Chong most connected with the work ethic that went into sculpting perfect physiques in bodybuilding. Chong came from a poor upbringing and learned how the value of hard work could bring him out of poverty and achieve the goals he set in his life. While those goals ultimately leaned towards music and comedy – he sees that same mentality displayed physically in pro bodybuilders as they build their physiques.
Mike O’Hearn took some time to discuss Tommy Chong’s childhood and struggles during his upbringing before jumping into some bodybuilding stories. Let’s jump into it.
Tommy Chong’s childhood, poverty, and rise to success
Tommy Chong grew up in Canada with very little money. Because of this – he found work wherever he could with blue collar odd jobs. His first ever job was mowing lawns at 10 years old. Chong explains when you grow up poor and live in a poor part of the country – there is always a job to be had somewhere if you are willing to put your head down and work hard.
Tommy Chong explains that this early “training” of learning to work hard while he was a kid gave him the mindset of working hard on everything he put his mind into – no matter the challenge. He considers this a big reason why he was able to succeed in music and later in comedy. It wasn’t just talent. It was hard work to make people take notice.
Tommy Chong’s family went through such hardships – that Chong eventually had to go to an orphanage for a short period of time. During that time he would find solace in being alone. That alone time allowed him to discover himself. To understand and define himself. This, in combination with the hard work, gave him focus to succeed at his endeavors.
Tommy Chong Discovering Bodybuilding
So how did Tommy Chong get into the bodybuilding world? When he was a young man, he was very small and skinny. As a teen he would play sports – but was told he would need to train to stand alongside the other athletes. So Chong found a hardcore bodybuilding gym where he could afford to train – and quickly discovered a respect and love for weightlifting.
Fast forward to Tommy Chong’s movie career and success. He purposefully wanted to move to LA so he could train at Gold’s Gym while building his film career. He would train at Gold’s Gym because it was cheap – and he enjoyed the company and mentality of the bodybuilders who would train there such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Zabo Koszewski. He would become good friends with Zabo and share a few funny exchanges with Arnold before Chong became famous:
“One time [Arnold Schwarzenegger] said to me, he said, ‘You know I look at you and – what’s wrong with your body? And I realize, you have no shoulders! And so that’s what I would concentrate on.”
Years later, when Tommy Chong was preparing for a movie. He decided to reach out to the legendary Vince Gironda for some training sessions. Because he was living a more lavish life as a movie star by this point – after some successful sessions – Chong would overpay Gironda to show his gratitude. This led to Gironda becoming Chong’s personal trainer.
A combination of these moments all led to Tommy Chong being a personality integrated into the Golden Era bodybuilding crew. He would train at Gold’s Gym, have fun laughs with the bodybuilders, and leave with a collection of great stories.
Marijuana Stories With Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Pumping Iron Bodybuilders
By this point, everyone in the bodybuilding world is familiar with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s famous scene in Pumping Iron – where he smokes a joint while wearing his “Numero Uno” t-shirt. With Tommy Chong hanging out with the Golden Era bodybuilders – Mike O’Hearn wanted to know if there were any funny weed stories that Chong could share.
Tommy Chong explains that Arnold Schwarzenegger’s actions – smoking weed openly – signaled to other bodybuilders that the effects of marijuana were helpful and not detrimental to bodybuilding. If Schwarzenegger could be the best in the world while smoking weed – so could anyone.
Chong also tells some great stories involving fun times he has had with pro bodybuilders and smoking weed – including a fun game with a bong and an eighth of weed that would bring a lot of entertainment to the Golden Era bodybuilders.
Wrap Up
Tommy Chong is a man with an interesting life, fantastically talented career, and a surprising amount of bodybuilding. We could barely cover it all in this article – so be sure to watch the full interview in our latest episode of The Mike O’Hearn Show above! And don’t forget to stop by every Friday for new episodes of the podcast each week!
PNBA Natural Bodybuilder Kayla Rowling: How To Decide Between Flexible Dieting & A Strict Meal Plan
PNBA Pro Bikini Diva competitor Kayla Rowling on why she chooses natural bodybuilding and how she handles diet plan.
On June 25, 2022 – the INBA/PNBA World Championships is being held in Florence, Italy. It’s one of the larger competitions in the natural bodybuilding league giving amateurs a chance to go pro and also pro athletes a chance to qualify for the Natural Olympia later this year. Pro Bikini Diva competitor Kayla Rowling is one such athlete looking to earn qualification. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Kayla Rowling explains her strict diet plan as she preps for the World Championships.
In just under two weeks, Kayla Rowling will be competing against some of the best in the world for qualification to the Natural Olympia. That’s why we connected via video call to check in on Rowling’s contest prep and look back at her bodybuilding origins and why she chose to go all-natural.
Kayla Rowling started competing in 2018 – but her fitness journey came much sooner. With an initial interest in cheerleading – she would work with a trainer to help improve her routines. She clearly had talent and so her trainer suggested she consider competitive bodybuilding in the Bikini division. Rowling was initially unsure – but she decided to check out a show. Her first thought – she could do this and she could do it better than many she was seeing on stage.
This started Kayla Rowling’s journey into bodybuilding. She went through many trainers to find the perfect one – and eventually landed in the INBA/PNBA natural bodybuilding league. She now looks towards the World Championships in Florence, Italy to push towards qualifying and hopefully winning the Natural Olympia.
Why Kayla Rowling Chose Natural Bodybuilding
But how did Kayla Rowling end up choosing the all-natural tested league path? There are many untested leagues, such as the IFBB, that bring in immense popularity. For Rowling, it was about the longevity of her career and her health.
“I really value longevity. And i could just see myself becoming obsessed but not in a good way if I were to take any enhancements. Because I know that’s not sustainable long term. And I personally don’t want to look like that all of the time.”
Beyond longevity – Kayla brings up an interesting point. As an athlete, she has a competition in her to succeed. She understands enough about her own competitive nature to realize that an untested league would lead her to pushing PEDs too far in order to be on top.
This, of course, matches current discourse in the larger bodybuilding conversation regarding recent untimely deaths in the sport. Many on the inside of the sport are claiming that the doses and power of PEDs are becoming stronger – and that young athletes are taking more PEDs than ever before. Kayla Rowling avoided this issue all together by focusing on a tested league to keep her own ambitions in check.
Strict Dieting vs Flexible Dieting
Kayla Rowling also goes into detail about her diet plan mentality and how she works with her coach to improve year after year. For Rowling, she focuses on an extremely strict daily diet that only changes to accommodate for optimizations to her physique. Essentially, Rowling relies 100% on her coach to give her a meal plan and she sticks to it without deviation. Her meals are rather repetitive. But much like Jay Cutler, she prefers to focus on the results rather than the joy of eating food.
This is in stark contrast to another approach that Rowling calls flexible dieting. In this method, a bodybuilder would focus on always ensuring they hit their macros – but mixing up their meal within those limits. This helps make eating less repetitive. For some, taking the variety out of food makes it harder to stick to a diet. So flexible dieting helps stay on point.
Kayla Rowling, on the other hand, can’t allow herself to be flexible. She prefers regimented meals like military drills. This is what works for her – and she thinks the biggest struggle for new Bikini Diva athletes is figuring out which style of dieting works best for success on a personal basis.
Wrap Up
Kayla Rowling goes into much more detail about he bodybuilding origins, her training and diet routines, and her life as a natural competitor. You can watch her full interview in our GI Exclusive above. You can also make sure to catch our coverage of the INBA/PNBA World Championships on June 25th, 2022. Stay tuned!
Straight Facts: Is The Future Of Mass Monster Bodybuilding Doomed?
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Jerry Brainum believes that the peak of bodybuilding has passed and been on a downslide ever since – breaks his evidence down in a latest video.
Modern bodybuilding has been under scrutiny in many ways for the past decade or so. First due to the distended stomachs and “unpleasant” look of bloated mass monster physiques. And now more recently due to the many tragic untimely deaths of relatively young bodybuilders. That’s why this week Jerry Brainum is going to look at the recent past to try and predict the future of bodybuilding – particularly Men’s Open. Is it doomed towards more of a health and popularity decline? Or will there be a shock to the system to change the trajectory of the sport? In our latest episode of Straight Facts, Jerry Brainum predicts the future of bodybuilding using today’s evidence.
Distended stomachs, untimely deaths, and heavier bodybuilders each generation are all pointing to one thing. Modern bodybuilding is focused on drug use and abuse at a level unseen in previous eras. In looking at the past and present to predict the future trajectory of the sport – Jerry Brainum sees many evolving factors that change the industry. But one thing that has changed the most far more than any other factor is the amount of drug use.
Jerry Brainum believes that if the sport continues down this course – that young bodybuilding deaths will continue. In fact, he believes that the young bodybuilders today will have an increased risk of dying by their early 50s. Brainum’s biggest question when lookin towards the future is – what is the limit? Both in terms of mass monster size and drug use doses. Is today’s port on the precipice of a fundamental change? Or will it continue to push boundaries for decades to come?
RELATED: Bodybuilders Are Dying – An Investigation Into Modern Bodybuilding, Health, & PED Use
Tracing the evolution of mass monster mentality and drug use in bodybuilding
Jerry Brainum starts off this episode with a brief overview on how the sport has gotten to where we are today. He starts by pinpointing one of the most historical culture shifting moment in the sport. When Dorian Yates debuted his mass monster physique – he showed a new bar that bodies can achieve. Brainum believes this was the single most defining moment of modern bodybuilding history. It changed everything.
Shortly after that – drug use continued to push boundaries. The evolution and information about these drugs became more known in the sport. By the early 1990s, insulin was introduced into the sport. Instead of being used as medicine for those with diabetes, it was used in combination with steroids to push bodybuilding size even further.
With the advent and eventual ubiquity of the internet – access to illegal and banned substances became even easier. Drug use increased even faster. Limits and doses increased. Which brings us to where we are today.
Predicting the future of competitive bodybuilding
So how does this course show us what the future holds? Jerry Brainum believes that many of today’s bodybuilders are taking such high doses of PEDs that medical professionals can’t even accurately know what kind of health effect it will have.
Brainum fears popular drugs like Trenbolone will have a devastating impact on the health of athletes as they age. Not only in terms of untimely deaths – but also early onset Alzheimers disease. Brainum states that studies have shown Trenbolone can trigger early onset Alzheimers. Despite no longer being legally produced – it’s widely popular among bodybuilders who compete.
Jerry Brainum believes that the only thing that can change the course of bodybuilding, mass monster sizes, and drug use – is to hit an absolute limit to what is possible. At some point, bodybuilders simply won’t be able to get bigger. Or perhaps at some point, the deaths will be so devastating that young athletes will change mindset on drug use and physique desires.
The question is, are we reaching that point currently or is that still far out from now? Jerry Brainum believes that the true peak of bodybuilding ran between the Golden Era of the 70s through to the early 90s. Ever since then, Brainum believes that bodybuilding has been on a decline in both popularity, quality of physiques, and health of the athletes. Will the 2020s be the rock bottom? Or will it take longer?
Brainum believes that the true peak of bodybuilding ran between the Golden Era of the 70s through to the early 90s.
How genetic therapy might change the game for bodybuilding
Jerry Brainum also predicts that gene therapy will one day completely transform bodybuilding and physiques. It’s still a very long way off from being an option – but Brainum thinks that gene therapy will one day replace traditional PED use. If the very genes can be manipulated to increase muscle size and become readily available to athletes – it will be used in droves.
However, Jerry Brainum also thinks this will lead to a brand new series of health related issues. Early gene therapy has already shown its dark side – with subjects growing tumors, being diagnosed with cancer and even dying. Who knows what kind of health ramifications can happen down the road if gene therapy (and even black market illegal gene therapy) becomes available to athletes.
Will Classic Physique become the new normal?
Jerry Brainum also touches upon the invention of the Classic Physique division and whether or not that will change the course of bodybuilding’s future. Brainum believes that, based on how fast the division has grown, Classic Physique will one day become the most popular division and highlight of the sport. Chris Bumstead’s immense popularity is early proof of this.
Jerry Brainum does not, however, believe it will kill Men’s Open bodybuilding. The freak factor is just too exciting to disappear. Instead, he thinks there will simply be less athletes interested in doing Men’s Open – which will lead it to becoming an exciting, but smaller division.
Wrap Up
Ultimately, Jerry Brainum paints a grim picture of the future of bodybuilding. His assessment almost seems like a stock market going into a bear market. While it will hurt many people, the sport simply needs to crash in order to reset and grow again. And much like the stock market – it’s hard to predict when the real deal crash will arrive.
You can watch Jerry Brainum go into full detail in our latest episode of Straight Facts above. Make sure to also stop by the Generation Iron Fitness Network every Wednesday for new episodes each week.
The Mike O’Hearn Show: Is Embracing Obesity With Body Positivity Unhealthy?
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Episode 2: Mike O’Hearn discusses body image and the difference between being happy with how you look versus your actual objective health.
Welcome back to another episode of The Mike O’Hearn Show – brought to you by Generation Iron and Barbend. A weekly podcast and digital video series hosted by Mike O’Hearn breaking down deep explorations into fitness, health, and nutrition – as well as trending topics in the world of bodybuilding and strength sports. This week, Mike O’Hearn discusses preventative health as a 300 pound bodybuilder, obesity and weight loss, and toeing the line between healthy body image and actual objective health.
In 2022, we live in an age of anti-body shaming and embracing different body shapes and sizes. It’s a massive course correction from the 80s and 90s – when billboards and magazines would plaster ultra skinny models as the standard in beauty. However, a person’s weight and their health are very much so tied together. While it’s good to have a healthy body image – it’s also important to ensure that your lifestyle and weight do not contribute to unhealthy outcomes.
That’s why this week, Mike O’Hearn dives deep into many different fitness and health topics such as preventative health and what that really means, weight loss and obesity in the United States of America, and how confident body image can sometimes lead to encouraging unhealthy lifestyles. Let’s jump into it.
Obesity, Body Image, And Objective Health Goals
Looking at Mike O’Hearn’s life story, it’s clear that he puts an extreme effort into not only how he looks but also his health. O’Hearn has been obsessed with fitness and bodybuilding since he was 17 years old. Nearly 40 decades later, and he is still actively maintaining a massive bodybuilding physique while also keeping himself healthy. He has maintained that he is an all-natural bodybuilder. He has also put extreme effort into finding the healthiest diets to maintain muscle without missing out on vital essential nutrients for long term health.
That’s why it’s no surprise that Mike O’Hearn is a supporter of picking a fitness goal and working towards transforming your physique. In this week’s podcast, O’Hearn dives into the struggle many average Americans have with losing weight. He believes that this is due to not fully hitting “rock bottom” regarding health and body image – so to speak.
“A person doesn’t change until they are completely fed up with how they are,” Mike states during the podcast conversation with Vlad Yudin.
Unfortunately, some people never get fed up until it’s too late. Either from a heart attack, diabetes, or some other dangerous health crisis. If they survive it, they may change. But sadly some won’t survive.
Vlad Yudin also brings up the modern culture of embracing all body types and sizes. This includes embracing people who would be scientifically classified as obese. Does this actually encourage people to stick with unhealthy lifestyle choices? Is it making it harder for individuals to get “fed up with how they are?”
Mike O’Hearn believes that body positivity, as a whole, is a good thing. It’s important to not feel pressure to look how the culture at large expects you to look. However, there is a line. O’Hearn believes that line comes down to objective health. O’Hearn explains, if you are overweight and happy with how you look – that’s great. But if you have high blood pressure and high cholesterol, then it’s time for a lifestyle change and to drop some pounds. It’s no longer about what body image makes you happy, it’s about whether you will live a long happy life. You only life once after all.
RELATED: Best Fat Burners For Men To Shed Fat & Maintain Muscle (Updated 2022)
Preventative Care & Cardiovascular Health
Mike O’Hearn also dives deep into preventative care. As a man who is near 300 pounds, albeit mostly muscle, he takes extra care to ensure that his health is always on point. In fact, he believes that most individuals should be doing more than what is commonly prescribed in terms of yearly doctor checkups.
O’Hearn goes into detail about getting regular heart scans and bloodwork done. In fact, he states that after speaking with a medical professional – he was told that in a perfect world, men would get a heart scan every six months.
He also believes that while it’s common practice to go to the doctor less often when you are a young adult – it would likely be best to get a checkup bi-yearly even in your twenties and thirties.
In addition to this, Mike O’Hearn talked in detail about heart health and cardiovascular training. He believes that most individuals do cardio not to lose weight – but because they are actually in fear for their heart health. O’Hearn believes that culture today believes the heart is far more fragile than it really is.
If a person was to eat completely health and be mildly active – they would most likely have a perfectly health heart (genetic disorders and predisposed diseases not withstanding). Today’s culture is so fearful of heart health due to heart attack and disease statistics. This makes them believe the heart is super fragile if you don’t do cardio every single day.
But Mike O’Hearn explains that this is only due to the systemic unhealthy eating habits we are largely engaging into. O’Hearn is personally not worried about cardio in regards to his heart health. In fact, he only does cardio when he needs to get more lean and shredded for a movie role, photo shoot, or guest posing performance.
It should be stated that Mike O’Hearn is not a doctor. But he is someone who has dedicated his entire life to being healthy. This is not meant to be medical advice – but perhaps simply an eye opener for those to do more research and look into their lifestyle choices. The heart can be a very powerful muscle if you take care of it – in more ways than one.
Wrap Up
You can watch Mike O’Hearn’s full comments in our latest episode of The Mike O’Hearn Show above. He goes into far more detail about his personal regimen for preventative care, cardio, and body image. And don’t forget to visit Generation Iron every Friday for new episodes each week!
Straight Facts: Should You Eat Chicken Or Fish For Best Fat Loss While Retaining Muscle?
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Jerry Brainum answers: which protein source is superior for losing fat and retaining muscle – chicken or fish?
While bodybuilders spend a significant amount of time trying to bulk up and build muscle – they also go through a cutting phase leading into a competition. The goal of this is to cut out as much fat as possible without burning away muscle. It’s not possible to avoid burning muscle completely of course, which is part of the skill and tactics that go into being a successful bodybuilder. During the cutting phase, protein still needs to remain constant. Which brings up the question – which is the superior protein to eat during cutting? In our latest episode of Straight Facts, Jerry Brainum compares chicken and fish to determine the best protein to eat while losing weight and maintaining muscle.
While bodybuilders are hyper focused on getting as lean as possible during competition prep – the concept of eating lean meats to stay thin and healthy is a universal one for many health conscious individuals. And for those who value maintaining strength and some sort of muscular physique while also staying thin – maintaining appropriate protein intake is vastly important.
Typically lean low calorie proteins come down to chicken or fish. Both are seen as the best protein source while trying to stay health and lean. But is one better than the other? Jerry Brainum looks at both protein sources and their nutrition profile to find out. Let’s jump into it.
First thing first – is it possible to eat red meat while losing weight?
At the top of the video, Jerry Brainum starts first by breaking a few myths about red meat and weight loss. It’s often believed that red meat needs to be cut out of a diet in order to lose weight. So if you want to maintain muscle while getting lean – chicken or fish is the only way to go.
While chicken and fish are likely your best options – not all red meat is as bad for your weight and health as you might be led to believe. It largely comes down to the cut of meat you consume – as there are fatty red meats and lean red meats.
Jerry Brainum references a study that showed lean cuts of red meat only had a difference of one to two grams of fat compared to chicken. This is a very small difference that would likely have little effect on your weight loss or gain.
So what’s the moral here? While it’s good for your overall health to reconsider how much red meat you eat on a weekly basis – for weight loss it is not 100% the enemy. Be smart, research the right cuts, and you can still fit in some red meat while hitting your fitness goals.
However, chicken and fish also offer a lot of other nutritional value to overall health as protein sources – which is why we can jump into those options in the battle for best weight loss proteins.
The pros and cons of chicken for weight loss
The first important factor to consider when eating chicken while trying to lose weight is what part of the chicken you are consuming. Dark meat is often fattier while light meat is packed with more protein. Chicken breast specifically seems to have the highest protein content and the least fat. This is why bodybuilders typically eat chicken breast above all else.
It’s also important to note that the skin contains fatty tissue. So this should be removed when eating during weight loss.
Chicken shares a lot in common with fish when it comes to b-complex vitamins – which are very helpful for turning calories into energy. But a huge positive is that chicken is much higher in vitamin D – which is already a vitamin that humans lack as we increasingly turn to digital technology and stay inside.
The pros and cons of fish for weight loss
On the other hand, fish has a lot of the same basic qualities as fish in terms of fat content and protein. However, fish are often packed with omega-3 fatty acids. These are considered an essential nutrient to overall long term health. So it’s great to have this in your diet separate from weight loss itself.
One thing of note – many bodybuilders and other fitness individuals hyper obsessed with weight loss might opt for low fat fish like cod. The problem here is that low fat fish often has less of the most important omega-3 fatty acids our bodies need. So you are essentially denying yourself a big benefit of fish when eating low fat species. On top of this – the fat content of a fattier fish like Salmon is such a small difference from chicken, it rarely is needed to eat low fat fish.
Another benefit of fish is that they are extremely low in calories compared to other protein sources. So when bodybuilders come to the final weeks of contest prep – it might be the best option for getting as lean as possible. This might not be as important for those who are just generally trying to stay lean for lifestyle reasons.
In terms of vitamins – fish are very high in vitamin B-12 and studies have also shown that fish are very good for helping to keep your intestinal biome healthy. This can have a huge effect on your overall health including your immune system – as noted by Jerry Brainum in a previous video.
So what is best? Chicken Or Fish?
After breaking down the pros and cons of both chicken and fish – Jerry Brainum believes that there is not enough of a significant difference between the two. Whether you want to eat chicken or fish while you try and get lean is completely up to your personal taste.
It can be argued that fish has a slight edge in terms of overall nutritional factors for your health. But if your main goal is to stay lean and keep on as much muscle as possible – both chicken and fish are a great way to keep protein in your diet without packing on too many calories.
You can watch Jerry Brainum go into complete detail in our latest episode of Straight Facts above. Make sure to visit Generation Iron every Wednesday for new episodes!
The Mike O’Hearn Show: Biggest Differences Between Training Tactics In The 80s Vs Today
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Episode 1: Mike O’Hearn talks about the evolution of bodybuilding training and nutrition tactics from the 1980s to the 2020s.
Welcome to The Mike O’Hearn Show. Our brand new digital series and podcast hosted by Mike O’Hearn. With a focus on all things bodybuilding, fitness, and strength training – O’Hearn brings unique insight into trending topics in the industry due to his near ageless fitness career over 4 decades. Which is why for our episode premiere, Mike O’Hearn breaks down the evolution of training and nutrition strategies over the past 40 years. How do we train today vs the 80s? Let’s jump into it.
Technology and science is rapidly changing. It’s hard to believe that it was only 15 years ago before iPhones existed. Before we could connect to infinite information in the palm of our hand at any moment. That same kind of rapid change is constantly happening in the fitness space as well. If you were to compare the diet and training tactics of fitness masters in the 1980s – they would vary in many ways versus today.
While the core functionality of training will always be the same – the details have largely shifted. And it hasn’t stopped. What the fitness world looks like in another 40 years will likely have many shifts compared to today. Mike O’Hearn has been dedicated to strength training, bodybuilding, and fitness since his teen years. And he’s still going strong today without slowing down. This makes him the perfect person to provide insight into the evolution of fitness over these past few decades.
Gym Training – Working Smarter Not Harder
So what is one of the biggest differences in training tactics today vs the 1980s? Mike O’Hearn believes it comes down to how hard we train in the gym. Now this might sound misleading. O’Hearn doesn’t believe in secret tips to skip ahead of the line. But what he does believe in is the old adage, “Work smart, not hard.”
At one point in this week’s episode, Mike O’Hearn says that the goal of the gym is to gain as much benefits with as little work possible. What he means by this is to not overtrain. In the 1980s, more was always seen as better. The hardcore lifting mentality was to push your body so far that it forces growth. While it’s important to push past your perceived limits – recovery is also vital.
Mike O’Hearn understands this and believes more people today understand this than they did 40 years ago. O’Hearn notes that many bodybuilders use to push their bodies so hard that they would degrade from the pressure. While this still led to some truly amazing physiques, it also led to shorter careers laden with injuries down the road.
Mike O’Hearn learned early to not push so hard that he would be physically burnt out and broken by middle age. He looked at pro legends like Lee Haney for inspiration on how to train smart rather than too hard. Due to this, O’Hearn is still able to maintain a fantastic physique and train with full energy 40 years later.
“We understand the best rep range today better than we did back then.”
– Mike O’Hearn
It’s the little details that have improved over time with science in fitness. We understand how to better optimize training without breaking our bodies. We understand the importance of rest much better. We also understand how nutrition affects our bodies and our training methods more than we did 40 years ago. Which brings us to our next topic.
How Nutrition and Macros Perception Has Changed
We see the world of nutrition and diets much more differently than we did 40 years ago. Mike O’Hearn points out that the importance of dietary fats in a bodybuilding or fitness diet has taken a 180 vs yesteryear. In the past, dietary fat was seen as the enemy. It’s right there in the word “fat.” No one wants to be fat – so we should consume less of it.
But in reality dietary fat (especially from lean healthy sources) is vital toward maintaining a powerful physique and a healthy life. On top of this, we have grown to understand how much carbohydrates contribute to gaining fat on our bodies. In fact, the distrust of carbs has gone too far – at least in Mike O’Hearn’s opinion.
In 2022, carbs have a bad rap. They are seen as unnecessary. Carbs provide our bodies with energy – but beyond that can be seen as largely unnecessary. So modern dietitians and fitness gurus believe in low carb diets that bring in other sources of energy for our bodies. This helps with staying lean and avoiding unnecessary weight gain.
However, Mike O’Hearn thinks that the massive trend of low-carb diets has swung too far in the other direction. O’Hearn swears by carbs and still keeps them largely in his daily diet. He finds them necessary for longevity and building a healthy bodybuilding physique.
O’Hearn thinks that social media has played a slight part in the negative perception against carbs. Social media has created a world where fitness icons need to be lean 24/7. They need to post pictures of their shredded physique throughout the entire year. This denies people a period to focus on bulking and growth. O’Hearn finds this especially damaging for young aspiring fitness lovers.
During the teen years and early 20s, athletes should experiment with pushing their muscle mass as far as they can go. But if most people feel the need to stay lean 24/7 due to social media – this puts them in a constant state of deficit. That denies them a whole world that may open up if they allow themselves to put on more pounds and get to know their bodies muscle mass limits more.
Wrap Up
Mike O’Hearn likes to look ahead. He was talking about lower rep ranges and working smarter back in his younger years before many believed in that gym mantra. He believes that his views on carbs and other diet trends will eventually be popular in another 10 or 20 years. His longevity in fitness proves he is often on point. Science and technology will always continue to evolve. O’Hearn encourages all to try and stay ahead of the curve.
You can watch Mike O’Hearn’s full comments in our premiere episode of The Mike O’Hearn Show above. Make sure to stop by every Friday for more new episodes as we launch them each week.
Straight Facts: The Reason Bodybuilders Lack Dietary Fiber… And Why That’s Dangerous
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Jerry Brainum breaks down the straight facts about bodybuilding diets, dietary fiber, and the health consequences of missing this vital nutrient.
It’s often said that bodybuilding is a lifestyle, not just a sport or a hobby. This is made abundantly clear when looking at the extreme detail that goes into a bodybuilding diet. Every single thing put into the body is monitored and adjusted for optimal results in building a perfect physique. However, sometimes a diet perfect for a masterful body is in contrast for what is best in regards to long term health. This is especially true when it comes to fiber – though many don’t often know this. In our latest episode of Straight Facts, Jerry Brainum details the importance of dietary fiber and the health consequences of missing this vital nutrient in the long run.
Dietary fiber is often an overlooked nutrient by the population at large. The most that individuals usually know is that it helps fight constipation and helps with bowel movements. This is certainly true – but there is so much more to dietary fiber than just making your bathroom visits more pleasant. In fact, it has a massive effect on your intestinal microbiome in ways that can have a major impact on your overall health in the long term.
Jerry Brainum knows about this first hand, as he’s faced a medical emergency in his past tied directly to dietary fiber (or lack thereof). Not only that – but as a passionate fan of bodybuilding, he is extremely aware of how little fiber usually exists in bodybuilding diets. This worries him. Which is why this week he goes into extreme detail on how to help boost fiber and the effects it can have. Let’s jump into it.
What does dietary fiber do?
In the most basic terms, dietary fiber helps food and waste move through your system more smoothly. By doing so, it essentially helps cleanse your intestinal microbiome. Your intestinal microbiome is a massive series of organisms that exist in your stomach and intestines. They are directly responsible for how you absorb nutrients and also how you dispose of waste from your body.
Most importantly, recent studies have found that a healthy intestinal microbiome is much more vital to human health than previously thought. It appears that the microbiome is in direct “communication” with your immune system. An unhealthy microbiome seems to lead directly to a weaker immune system.
Unhealthy microbiomes have also shown to increase risk of colon cancer and various other intestinal diseases.
How much dietary fiber should you take?
The CDC recommends that individuals take approximately 14 grams of dietary fiber per 1000 calories consumed. So if you were to consume generally 2000 calories per day – you should eat around 28-30 grams of dietary fiber.
In an era of processed foods – this goal is much harder to reach for most Americans. But beyond the general public, Jerry Brainum explains that typical and popular bodybuilding diets leave much less room for dietary fiber.
Why do bodybuilders have low dietary fiber?
In modern bodybuilding, diets such as carnivore diets, ketogenic diets, and other low-carb diets have become very popular. These diets often do not provide the daily dietary fiber needed for a healthy intestinal microbiome.
This does not mean these diets are inherently bad. In fact, these diets are designed to only be used in the short term. Jerry Brainum explains that being one one of these diets for one month, three months, or even six months will likely do little damage to your overall health. But if you stick longer than six months – and push a low-carb diet into a permanent eating lifestyle – you may be in for some serious health risks in the long term.
As mentioned, low fiber can contribute to an increased risk of colon cancer and can also weaken your overall immune system. Leaving bodybuilders (and any individual low in dietary fiber) open to getting seriously sick more often.
In addition to this, Jerry Brainum cites some studies that show high-fiber diets have shown increased heart health, lower blood pressure, and (as stated previously) an improved immune system.
Supplementing your diet with fiber
So what is a bodybuilder to do if he or she wants to build better health but stay on track for optimizing their physique? Jerry Brainum suggests dietary fiber supplements taken with water. They are relatively tasteless and easy to add to a meal or simply with a glass of water.
Jerry Brainum also suggests starting off slow. If you jump in with 30+ grams of dietary fiber in a supplement, you’ll get extremely gassy and bloated. It’s uncomfortable and might entice you to stop supplementing with fiber. Instead, start small and slowly build up so your microbiome adjusts to the dietary change.
Wrap Up
Dietary fiber is not an exciting or often discussed nutrient when talking about healthy diets. But it’s extremely important and can be a contributing factor to various ailments. Since bodybuilders are often lacking in dietary fiber – it’s important to take this information and these suggestions seriously. Just get used to going to the bathroom a bit more often as part of your daily schedule.
You can watch Jerry Brainum go into complete detail about dietary fiber and bodybuidling in our latest episode of Straight Facts above. Make sure to stop by each Wednesday for new episodes every week!
Blessing Awodibu Answers: What Is The Fastest Way To Build Lean Muscle Mass?
Blessing Awodibu details the important rules for building mass monster size as efficiently as possible.
If you are an aspiring bodybuilder or perhaps just inspired by the Men’s Open pro bodybuilders of today – you probably want to put on massive size. Gaining weight seems like it would be easier than losing it. But when it comes to building lean muscle mass on a massive level – it can be quite a challenge. That’s why Blessing Awodibu, a pro bodybuilding mass monster that is currently catching attention, shared some key tips on how to effectively build lean muscle as fast as possible. In our latest GI Exclusive, Blessing Awodibu explains the do’s and don’ts for building lean muscle mass big and fast.
Most bodybuilding fans are familiar with the basic cycle of bodybuilding prep. There’s a bulking phase and a cutting phase. During bulking, a bodybuilder tries to put on as much mass as possible. Then closer to the competition, they cut down to sculpt that muscle mass into lean and conditioned mastery.
In today’s day and age of bodybuilding, size means everything. Men’s Open bodybuilders come in at a minimum of 250 pounds with some pushing towards 300 pounds. Needless to say, these guys are truly massive. So if you’re a bodybuilder looking to do the same – how do you build up that much size?
We asked Blessing Awodibu what was the most efficient and fastest way to build muscle mass. The answer might not be the kind of short cut people are looking for – but it’s insightful advice that can help you avoid some serious mistakes. Blessing immediately confirms that there is no “fast” way to build mass. It takes hard work and consistency.
Of course, you can build mass more effectively if you follow some key tips. The most important one being the kind of food you eat. Some bodybuilders pack on junk food into their bulking meal plans. Basically, they’ll eat anything to build up the pounds. But this also brings in lots of fat build up. When the cutting phase comes down the road – this makes for a bigger challenge.
That’s why Blessing Awodibu stresses the importance of eating clean foods. No sugary food. No salty food. No deeply fatty foods. He sticks with the traditional bodybuilder diet of chicken and rice. Sometimes steak and rice. He stays consistent no matter how mind numbing it can become. Building up lean mass as a bodybuilder is part of the job. It’s work. It’s not supposed to be “fun” or “tasty” all of the time.
Blessing Awodibu also shares some tips on how to make sure the mass you are building is muscle and not fat. How do you build mass monster muscle without becoming too soft? Blessing swears by fasted cardio. He says it’s the most important trick to making sure your muscle builds lean and not puffy.
Bodybuilding often de-emphasizes cardio. Doing too much can burn off the muscle you’ve been trying so hard to build. It also is extremely unpleasant to do cardio when you are carrying over 250 pounds of muscle.
Regardless, Blessing Awodibu (among other top tier bodybuilders) stress how important it is to stay on top of not just cardio – but fasted cardio. This brings in the most benefits for your time. It also ensures when you are bulking that it’s mostly muscle and not tubby fat.
You can watch Blessing Awodibu go into more detail about his exact tactics in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.