I am sure at some point we have all wondered what it is that allows some people to easily pack on muscle whilst the rest us struggle on. Maybe secretive steroid use? The supplement we see him taking after a workout? A superior training regime? Unfortunately, when we look at the progress made by others we often begin to question our own progress (or lack of) and we may begin to stray away from the sound fundamentals we have always rightly followed and begin to employ wasteful antics which merely mimic someone who appears to be superior at building muscle. We must realise not everyone is going to build muscle at the same rate even with all things being equal (diet, supplement intake and training regime). Thanks to the recent progress shots shared by Tony Barnes on SteroidsLive we can see what is achievable by keeping things simple and following sound fundamentals, all within a 6 week time frame.
How did Tony manage such remarkable progress?
• Eating smartly
• High fat, moderate protein and low carbohydrates
• Only supplements used were Reflex One Stop and Udos Oil
• Full body workouts 3-4 times per week
• Each session between 40-50mins
• Basic exercises using sand bags
The fact Tony uses sand bags for exercises show how basic and fundamental the exercise choices are. Exercises implemented by Tony during his full body workouts include; deadlifts, squats, pull ups, bent over rows, lateral raises, push ups (with sand weight on back) and flys.
Tony chooses to follow a full body workout routine because he believes a muscle should be stimulated often to achieve optimal muscle growth. The full body workouts also suit the basic training equipment he has, allowing him to implement basic compound movements which target multiple muscle groups.
As for his dietary approach, Tony explains that his use of healthy fats and protein post workout aims to reduce inflammation for maximum recovery. Most of the day’s carbohydrates are also consumed around training to ensure maximum energy levels for the training and to restore glycogen stores after a workout.
A typical training day’s diet may look like the following:
Meal 1: Reflex One Stop and 50ml of Udos Oil
Meal 2: 275g of Pork Chops with 100g of Broccoli (70-100g of Chedder Cheese melted into the Broccoli)
Meal 3: Reflex One Stop and 50ml of Udos Oil (this is post workout)
Meal 4: A meal of choice which contains moderate fats, carbs and protein. Choices may include Pizza, Bolognese or Chinese.
The making of the sand bags!
As mentioned, Tony does not attend a gym and instead uses sand bags as resistance. Below are images of Tony creating the sand bags!
Final words
I am sure you’ll agree – Tony has made amazing progress over the past 6 weeks. However, the point of this article was not to encourage you to mimic Tony’s approach due to his fantastic progress. Tony has found a way which suits him well and he has made great progress by putting in the hard work. The points to take home are; a) we should focus on our own training and find what works for ourselves, b) continue to follow the fundamental principles (sound diet, do not over emphasise the importance of supplements and follow a training routine which includes basic compound exercises as its backbone), and c) accept that people naturally progress at different rates.