Big Eater Besides Phelps.

At Asia Cafe, there's this korean stall. They sell korean food (duh~). Well, there's one selection called Korean BBQ or something like that. Per person is RM20, add RM1 for rice. 2 people is RM39. Let's get straight to the point.


RM 21 for this.


L-R: Chin Liang, Sassan with his friendly gesture.


A plate of pork, some salad leaves, onions, garlics (not in pic), green chilis, kimchi and a bowl of rice.


Sassan's cousin Arash. 5 big scoops of mashed potatoes not with sauce but salt.


And a plate of grill fish (white rice not shown).


He added a plate of pork afterwards. He paid RM 41 for that korean BBQ thing. On top of that, he ordered 3 small coconuts where you can find a few lying around in other pictures. All in I think it was RM 50+.

Seriously, these middle eastern bodybuilders eat ALOT. And what's even better is that this meal was just not a main meal. Guess you just can't eat enough can you?


Eat, eat, eat, eat, eat. Oh and I would like you to meet this guy. Lim Eu Gin. Avid pool player. But that's not all that he is good at. Real nice diplomatic person to talk to. Always wearing a smile (except that pic). Eating eggs and bread at 5am in the morning makes him all the more cuter.

Michael Phelps Diet!

Michael Phelps stands at 6 feet 4 inches and some say he has a size 14 foot, but what makes Phelps uniques is his Olympic diet.

After grabbing his record breaking 11th Olympic Gold Medal, Michael Phelps, at the 2008 Olympics just recently revealed the secret to his incredible body and Gold Medal results.
The secret he would have you know behind his physique is an astonishing 12000 KILOCALORIE PER DAY DIET! So next time before you think you can't grow although you eat alot, think twice!

This is 6 times the normal amount of an average adult male, but for Michael Phelps this is just a normal day. Of course his diet does go along with a muscle building 6 day per week, 5 hours per day intense training program both in and out of the water.

Here is a regular day in the life of Michael Phelps:

BREAKFAST
Phelps begins his day by supercharging his metabolism with 3 fried-egg sandwiches, but with a few customized embellishments: cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and, a large dollop of mayonnaise. 3 fried-egg sandwiches, not 3-fried-eggs sandwich. As soon as he is done with that light snack he inhales 2 cups of coffee and silently begins working on an omelet which consists of 5 eggs - and grits, porridge of coarsely ground corn. Well he's just getting started. Let's bring the 3 slices of sumptuous French toast, with powdered sugar on top to MAKE SURE THERE'S NO SKIMPING ON THE CALORIES! And finally lets not forget the 3 chocolate chip pancakes. With breakfast out of the way let us take a look at lunch; after all he is a growing boy. Practically this is the total of food I eat on a busy day!

LUNCH
Well Michael Phelps starts lunch with a 1/2 a kilogram, a whole packet of enriched pasta and two large ham and cheese sandwiches. On white bread with loads of mayo to boot. To guarantee that he will have plenty of energy for his grueling workout he quickly downs a 1,000 calorie energy drink.

DINNER TIME!
For most people so far the idea of more food maybe as welcome as a frontal lobotomy, but it is time to kick the carbs up for tomorrows workout. Get set for 1/2 a kilo of enriched pasta and to make sure nothing is left out let's eat entire pizza and a 1,000 calorie energy drink. Phelps was recently quoted: "Eat, sleep and swim, that's all I can do."

DAYUMM! (drag DAMN)

But I'm pretty sure that's only the highlights. I'm sure he has snacks in between workouts and all which he doesn't wanna scare us all off with! Long live King Phelps!

Chest Workout Today! (WARNING: VERY INDEPTH)

I'd like to make two things clear. Firstly, MY TRAINING STYLE IS BASED ON MAXIMUM CONTRACTION. It means that I contract the target muscles as hard as I can at the top of each repetition for a good long second, sometimes 2 or even 3. It varies on my energy level. Obviously, contracting longer is tougher and more beneficial. Secondly, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS WIDENING CHEST WORKOUTS OR THICKENING CHEST WORKOUT. It is a total myth and I just can't seem to emphasize enough on that. Afterall, I'm a no facade, no bullshit, no nonsense guy.


To justify my act, chest muscles (infact every other muscles) are tubular shaped. That being said, WHEN MUSCLES GROW, THEY EXPAND AT THE MOST MIDDLE OF THE TUBE FIRST. As it expands, the side will be pushed up. That gives the 'thickening' look. Now that it has become thicker and bigger, it definitely looks wider too.

We'll start with the Incline Chest Presses.


I prefer doing them first because my shoulders and triceps are fresh. It's pretty hard to use the upper chest muscles, generally because it's smaller and there are alot of supporting muscles around it. Now, FORM IS IMPORTANT. IT CAN NEVER BE ANYMORE IMPORTANT. CHOOSE FORM OVER WEIGHT EVERYTIME. LEAVE THE EGO AT THE DOOR WHEN YOU ENTER THE GYM.


2 DIFFERENT GRIPS, THE NARROW (LEFT) AND THE WIDE (RIGHT). How to determine which to use it pretty simple.

THE WIDER YOUR GRIP, THE LESS HELP YOU CAN GET FROM OTHER SUPPORTING MUSCLES. This puts more stress on the chest. On the other hand, THE NARROW GRIP ENCOURGAGES THE TRICEPS AND SHOULDER MUSCLES TO HELP but the peak contraction of the chest is more, meaning that at the top of the repetition, the chest muscles can be squeezed harder. Then again, a narrow grip could sacrifise form if done uncorrectly. It would take time to get use to the perfect grip.

THE PERFECT GRIP IS HAVING THE MAXIMUM CONTRACTION USING THE LEAST OF OTHER MUSCLES.


PUSHING YOUR SHOULDER BLADES BACK AND TRYING TO MEET THEM IS THE RIGHT FORM. This is something I see even seasoned gym goers forget to do. Done uncorrectly is portayed in the left picture and done correctly is portrayed in the right picture. WHEN DONE CORRECTLY, THE ELBOWS SHOULD BE DIFFICULT TO STRAIGHTEN.

WARMUP WITH 2 STRICT SERIOUS SETS WITH WEIGHTS ABOUT 50% OF YOUR 1 REPETION MAXIMUM WEIGHT. The first set is to do as many repetitions as possible. STOP DOING WHEN YOU FEEL WARM IN SHOULDER JOINTS. Muscles/tendons tear more easily when they are cold so you want them to be warmed before carrying heavier. The second set is about focusing on the target muscle (in this case upper chest). MAKE SURE EVERY REPETITION YOU ARE ABLE TO CONTRACT AND USE THE MUSCLE AT YOUR WILL. It's really no use if one just hover the weight above using brute strength. People would envy the amount of weight being used but after 6 months, people would question why isn't the workout producing any physical change.

Everyone knows that at the top of a repetition, we should push all the way up until our physical limitation. BUT HOW LOW SHOULD WE GO?


AT LEAST UNTIL OUR ELBOWS ARE SQUARED ANGLES. This is because anymore higher than that would be under stressed for the muscles. Anymore lower would overstress the muscles. Now, over stressing isn't that good because you sacrifice repetitions. Generally, REPETITIONS = STRESS TIME. OPTIMUM STRESS TIME, OPTIMUM GROWTH.


Taking it too low. Not that it is wrong but it is a higher level training technique. This can be done as a last set to stretch the already-pumped-up muscles.


AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SOME BUDDIES STANDING BEHIND, NOT SUPPORTING YOU BUT JUST STANDING BEHIND TO LEND A FINGER OR TWO. Research has proven that carrying heavier with support from another person (sometimes people!) does not add significant changes in term of strength and muscle growth. So why don't we just be true to ourselves?

Next exercise would be a combination of flat bench press and chest fly.


This is Koh Chin Liang, my training partner. For the record, he is quite strong despite what you see in the photos. He STARTS WITH THE CHEST FLY FIRST FOR A COUPLE OF REPS AS COMPARED TO CONVENTIONAL METHODS. For those who don't know what is a chest fly exercise, start with both hands at the top (don't forget to keep your shoulder blades posture right!). In a circular motion, hands like wings of a bird, start flapping away!


After several repetitions of fly, he IMMEDIATELY CONTINUES WITH FLAT BENCH PRESS FOR SEVERAL REPETIONS AGAIN.


Complete as many repetitions as possible. This is the 3rd and final exercise. It's called the push-ups. AND HELL, PUSHUPS SHOULDN'T BE UNDERESTIMATED. They are good muscle builders if being used correctly.


Taking it too low again. A big NO-NO.

One thing you would have taken notice is I didn't mention how many repetitions I did. To me, that is a very subjective question. Trying my best to answer, here is the list.

INCLINE PRESS: 12 / 10 / 10 / 4
FLY FLAT: 8(not max) + 8 / 8(not max) + 8 / 6(not max) + 6
PUSHUPS: 10 / 10 / 10

The workout looks pretty easy but if done with proper form and at the correct weight, it could be tedious. You don't need to spend hours and hours in the gym anymore. One should stimulate, not annihilate in the gym.

*note : The numbers represent whether how much effort you should put. As always, every set should be done until failure unless stated. The drop in the number of repetitions also indicate that you should keep adding weights.

Gym For Bigger Chest (Strictly For Females!)

Many women who hit the gym have a secret goal they don’t normally tell you. Alot of women want to know the type of exercises required to add a little bit of mass and strength to their chest, in hopes of preventing gravity from taking it’s course on their chest. A weak back and tight chest muscles can result in poor posture in women. An improved posture, however would create the illusion of a firmer and bigger chest. But whatever the reason, it is quite easy to exercise the chest to achieve this.

Well, to save you women from the embarrassment of having to ask that question, here are a few pointers that may prove to be useful. Basically, any chest exercise will help, but women may want to consider the following for a more ‘uplifting’ result:

1. The most popular mass builder is the bench press (which I don’t see enough women doing at the free weights area). The machine chest press works fine too, but free weights do have their advantages in terms of adding variety to a dull routin and effectiveness, especially if you’ve been dependant on machines for too long. As intimidating as it may look, this is not a ‘men-only’ exercise. Try the bench press with either barbells or dumbbells.

2. Ensure you also include inclined presses into your chest workout. If you’re female, inclines help to keep your chest up and if you’re male - it will keep you from looking like you have man boobs!

3. Try the Butterfly:- Lay on the bench/floor/flat ground and hold the weights to your side in your hands when you lay down.- Now, lift the weights as if you’re trying to meet your hands over top of your chest (imagine you’re hugging a tree trunk, which means don’t bend your elbows too much)- Hold the peak contraction at the top for a few seconds then return to the start position fully in control of the weights, and repeat.

Be persistent, train hard ,keep your diet in check and the results will show. Hey nobody said it would be easy but the fastest way is getting started immediately!

Power Diet Food!

Yes, it's the second issue of foods that help you diet! As we all know, it's hard to find healthy food, let alone food that can help you diet without jeopardizing your nightlife/sex life/cyber cafe life etc etc. I'm a victim to the social attractions around me myself. So here's what I can do for you. I scout good dieting food for you and you cut that belly off for your girlfriend/boyfriend/mom/dad/god-knows-who-else-you-want-to-impress. Without further delay:


Cuttlefish! Sauceless! Taste better than you think it is! Having 5 sticks would give you 20g protein easily and that would only cost RM6.50.


This place rocks. FAT ONE STEAMBOAT infront of Public Bank at ss15. I didn't take more pictures because I felt it would be awkward. There were pretty much variety of lean protein sources I would say. Squids, fishballs, shishamo (pregnant fish), mussels, prawns, jellyfish and etc. Fairly priced I would say.

So who says you can't keep lean or even trying to lose that fat if you have lots of parttttttttttiiies to attend?!


SHOT OF THE DAY:
Tan Chun Guan the great pool player (not a sarcasm). 5-3, 3-1, played my ass off and still couldn't be a threat. No I'm not lousy. I'm FUCKING better than most.