Jeff Seid Midweek Update

San Francisco 49'ers Patrick Willis Workout

Watch Patrick Willis, San Francisco 49'ers middle linebacker show you his homegrown workout. We could learn a little.

Overtraining

Overtraining is an unavoidable problem which can really stunt your muscle growth.  We all want to go to the gym and tear our muscles apart.  However, if you work your muscles out too hard or if you do not give yourself enough rest, you will actually lose muscle mass rather that gain it.

What is overtraining?

When you work out, you are actually putting so much stress on your muscle, that tiny tears begin to occur in your muscle.  While you are recovering, your body will create more muscle fibers to replace the damaged ones; resulting in an increase in muscle size.  However, your muscles need to rest in order for this growth to occur.

Overtraining occurs when you do not give your muscles enough time to rest.  Therefore you are putting more stress on your already damaged muscle fibers.  If you push too hard you can cause enough damage to your muscle that it will regress in size.  Not giving yourself enough rest can also result in serious injury which can keep you out of the gym for long periods of time.

How can I recognize overtraining?

The most obvious result of overtraining is that you will not see visible improvement in your muscles and physique.  You also will feel as if you are in plateau because you will not go up in weight during your workouts.  You might even start having to do less weight.

Another symptom of overtraining is that you will feel fatigued while you are not working out.  Obviously you are going to be a little tired after going to the gym but if you notice yourself constantly tired, this can be a result of overtraining.

Another telltale sign of overtraining is injury.  Injuries occur at the gym.  However, if you notice yourself pulling a muscle or injuring a joint every other week, you are probably overtraining.

How can I avoid overtraining?

The good thing about overtraining is that it is easily avoidable.  To avoid overtraining, make sure you give your muscles ample rest.  After a workout, a muscle must rest for a MINIMUM of two days.  Doing chest two days in a row is a sure way to hurt yourself.

Another important way to avoid overtraining is to know how many reps you should be doing per week for each body part.  This link gives you a good range for the number of reps you should be doing for each body part: http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/optimal-workout-volume/.  Of course, each person is different so you must get to know your body before being able to truly know your limit.

An easy way to avoid overtraining is to give yourself periods of time away for the gym.  Although you want to be in the gym every day, giving yourself a week off every two or three months will allow your body to fully heal itself and prepare for the next week of workouts.

Healthy Snack Alternatives

Many people say it is so difficult to eat healthy, but it really isn't! The ones who usually say this generally do not have enough dietary knowledge. There are plenty of healthy alternatives but they just don't know what the are. This post is to provide you with a few healthy snack alternatives so you don't go starving throughout the day.




1) Greek yogurt with some fruit (maybe a little granola)
2) Trail-mix (nuts and fruit)
3) Protein shake
4) Hummus
5) Whole wheat pretzels or fresh popcorn (no microwave)
6) Granola bar
7) Grilled chicken
8) Bowl of oatmeal
9) Egg white omelet
10) Peanut butter on whole wheat bread

That's only a few choices but there are alternatives.

Top 5 Pre-Workouts

Our top five pre-workout picks are listed below based on effectiveness, taste and price.

#1 Nitraflex by GAT (Taste Great, Effective Instantly, Strong Beta Alanine, Extreme Focus, No Crash)


















#2 C4 by Cellucor (Cost Efficient, Effective, Taste Great In Multiple Flavors, No Crash)

 #3 Assault by Muscle Pharm (A Little Pricey, Effective, Taste Okay, Big Scoops A Little Heavy For A pre-Workout, No Crash)


#4 NO Shotgun by VPX (Not Best Taste, Foamy After Mixing, Good Price, Effective, No Jitters, No Crash)


#5 NO Xplode By BSN (Taste Great, Kinda Weak, Good Starter Pre-Workout, No Crash)

Motivational Monday- Bar Brothers

The following information was taken from Novic YouTube Channel. Bar Brothers is calisthenic workout team that performs creative body weight exercises to obtain strength. These types of workouts are efficient, fun, and the cheapest way to get a great body! Our goal is to inspire you to get in shape and MOTIVATE you to reach your goals!

Check out their Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/LazarNovovic

Great Nutrition Video

Came across this great video about nutrition. Check it out!

Know Your Body Type

Make sure you know your body type so you can diet and workout correctly

Inspirational Photo

Motivational Monday- Jeff Seid

Jeff Seid is an 18 year old natural bodybuilder and fitness model from Renton, Washington. He began weight lifting at the age of 12. Throughout high school Jeff played football and wrestled but sadly he had torn his ACL the first game of senior year. Jeff then began training for a Men's Physique competition which he naturally won. He continues to train and motivate others. 

Body Stats:

Height: 6'0
Weight: 190
Arms: 18"
Waist: 30"
Chest: 45"
Calves: 17"
Forearms: 15.5"

Luis Rafael Photo Shoot

Jeff at the age of 16.

    
Watch Jeff share his chest workout, diet and supplement regime.

Summers Over...Bulk Up

Thirty Grilled Chicken Recipes 

Bulking is a bodybuilding term which basically means to increase your caloric intake by a decent amount, particularly protein and carbohydrates. With this increase you will most likely gain some weight and lose your abs, but this is okay. This strategy is used to put on mass in a short amount of time. After the bulking phase is done you can cut, basically SHRED up before summer starts.

When we say increase your caloric intake this doesn't mean to eat cookies and cake. It must be a CLEAN bulk if you are looking to gain size because we're looking for muscle not fat. Your diet will consist of pasta, brown rice, lean meats, clean carbs such as whole wheat breads and sweet potatoes. Ideally you want to eat six meals a day (a meal every
few hours). Not only will your meals get bigger and more often but throw an extra protein shake in the mix. Protein shakes are quick, easy and fast calories. You should absolutely have one when you wake up being that your body is protein deficient from not eating for the past 6-8 hours. The next shake should be within 45 minutes of completing your workout and lastly before bed (casein if possible being that it is slow digesting). One last tip, use low-fat milk instead of water. This will add a few extra calories to your diet. Bulk up!

Alcohol and Training

Alcohol and training do not mix very well. If you're serious about weightlifting and yielding results  than we suggest that you keep your alcohol intake to a minimum. We're not saying you can't enjoy a glass of wine or a beer once in awhile but moderation is key. They say that getting "drunk" will wipe out your past two days of working out. I don't know about you guys but I work way too hard in the gym to give up two days of my workouts.

As you know alcohol is a depressant so it slows down everything. It slows down your metabolism and more importantly protein synthesis. Without protein synthesis your muscles will not be repaired hence you will not see any gains.

Being college students we know what it's like. Just because you workout doesn't mean you can't go to parties and enjoy yourself. Maybe you can have one beer then switch to a non alcoholic beverage. It's truly up to you, some find it easy not to drink while others don't. No one ever said dedication was easy.

Motivational Monday- How Bad Do You Want It

Eating Healthy in a Dorm Room

I can't stress how important it is to eat healthy.  Lifting weights causes small tears in your muscles.  Your body responds to these tears by building new muscle tissue and repairing the small tears.  However, to build this new muscle tissue, your body needs the right building blocks.  These building blocks come from the food you eat.

I am currently a senior in college and have spent much of my time living in dorm rooms without stoves.  However, I still found ways to avoid eating Ramen Noodles every night.  If you are in college, you must take advantage of your local dining hall.  Most dining halls will serve healthy food options.  For dinner you should be able to eat grilled chicken or steak as your main protein source.  Dining Halls often serve whole wheat bread as an alternative to the more fattening white bread.  Also look for things like brown rice, whole wheat pasta, peanut butter, greek yogurt, fruit, and salads.

If you want to keep snacks in your room, try to eat more healthy options such as trail mix and nuts.  Oatmeal is a great option for a healthy snack as you can make it right in the microwave.  Try to avoid keeping any typical college snacks like chips as they often contain way too much sodium and fat.  If you have to have snacks like that pretzels are your best option.

It is also important to make sure you eat at least 3 meals a day, if not more (5 is ideal).  It should be easy to make it to the dining hall a few times in between classes but breakfast is definitely the hardest meal.  Your best bet will probably be to keep some healthy cereals (Special K, Chex) in your room along with some fruit.  It may not be an ideal breakfast but its impossible to cook eggs every morning when you don't have a stove. 

Poor Man's Pre-Workout (Music)

It is a scientific fact that when you listen to your favorite music in the gym you will lift heavier. Music gets you hyped and basically acts as a poor man's pre-workout. We figured we would share some of our favorite gym songs with you guys. In no particular order they are listed below.

Motivational Monday- Arnold Schwarzenegger

Motivational Monday- Every Monday we will give you motivational videos and articles to help kick start a good week at the gym.  (usually after taking the weekend off). These will generally focus on bodybuilders, athletes and fitness models and will profile how they have achieved their goals.

A screen shot from Arnold's film "Pumping Iron"

For our first Motivational Post, we had to choose Arnold Schwarzenegger. He's the king of bodybuilding, having won six consecutive Mr. Olympia wins through the years 1970 to 1975 and another in 1980. This man influenced a whole generation to begin weightlifting and to work to create more aesthetically pleasing bodies. 

Arnold has had a ridiculous impact on our society and the bodybuilding community. He has become an iconic figure for bodybuilders of all shapes and sizes, with many fitness fanatics hanging posters of him on their walls.

Below is a great motivational speech by the king himself. Do not let people tell you what you can't do. Who do you want to be in life?

A Little About Us

The Shred Inc.team consist of three friends with a passion for working out, diet and overall health.

Keith- Recently I graduated St. Johns University getting a degree in Mass Communications/ Business Minor and currently obtaining my personal training certification. It wasn't until about the end of Sophomore year until I really got into working out. Growing up I was always playing sports and into physical activities but was always skinny. I wanted to gain mass so I began reading and watching videos like any other kid. I would go onto bodybuilding.com, watch videos on YouTube and even ask people at the gym. I would research and retain every piece of information that I could. Fitness is a learning process and always will be. With the right amount of stride and motivation you can accomplish any goal.

Dennis- I am currently a student at Boston College, studying Political Science and Communications.  I have been playing sports my entire life but I was always the tall, skinny kid.  Last summer, I finally started to hit the gym and after putting on 15 pounds of muscle in 3 months, I was hooked.  I am constantly looking for ways to perfect my workout routine and my diet.  I have gained tons of experience on how to stay fit while also living a college lifestyle.  Most people fear the dreaded Freshman 15, but I will help show you how to turn those 15 pounds of fat into muscle.


Andrey- My big brother has always been my inspiration when it came to anything and everything. He has always been a huge gym rat and I had no choice but to follow his footsteps and see what his passion for fitness was all about. I first started lifting on and off senior year in high school, after I got fed up of being taken for a freshman. I was not passionate at all when I first started to work out and gave up pretty quickly since I barely seen any gains being an ectomorph. Getting big seemed inconcievable for my stature. My brother kept forcing me to go to the gym with him and kept trying to motivate me. After a year or so of failed attempts, I decided to suck it up and give this whole gym thing a serious go. Before long, working out became part of my lifestyle. I began gaining lean muscle while maintaining low body fat and I was enthused with the way my physique was changing so rapidly. After two years of trial and error, I have a wealth of information about proper fitness, bodybuilding, and diet.

~Stay Shredded

Welcome to Shred Inc.

Welcome! Here at the Shred Inc.blog we will be posting about FITNESS. Whether it be about dieting, bulking, cutting, workouts or supplements. We hope you learn something from our post and put that information to good use.

-Shred Inc.