If you are wondering what happened to the June edition, well, it never did happen. Unfortunately, I just got bogged down with other stuff and never found the time. A special thanks to those who wrote to check on my well-being. All was and is fine.

Even without a June "Get Big," site readers were getting big. Among the highlights, Terry put on 20 lbs. and Claudia reported a gain of 7 lbs. Dave T. took (perhaps ate) the cake however, reporting an amazing 34 lb. gain over 4 months time. To give credit where credit is due, Dave credited his gains to a precise following of Anthony Ellis's program. ( Gaining Mass )

My favorite comment of the past month came from Claudia...

"I can't believe how easy it has suddenly become for me to gain weight...I tried everything for 27 years and nothing worked."

For those of you still struggling to put on the pounds, take it from Claudia: Keep doing things the right way and soon you too may be considering it an easy task to put on weight. Once you find the appropriate caloric intake for you and get consistent with your dieting and training, things fall into place.

The recent mail I have received has been great. Keep it coming. I apologize for some delayed responses but, going forward, I should be quicker. You can send me mail here - Contact.

In This Issue...

Site New Stuff

Okay, not a lot of new stuff. And if you read to the end of May's Ezine (does anyone make it that far?) where I promised a lot, you know I now have egg all over my face. (By the way, eggs are great for bulking).

I did get one article from Anthony Ellis posted. Information to Help You Bulk Up is a great read about the basics of putting on muscle weight.

And I just recently put up a Will Brink article on steroids - a kind of funny look on the misinformation about the subject. It went along with a major kick I got on recently (see Blog). You can read Will's article on this page - Steroids: How the facts get Confused.

At The Muscle Building Blog, thanks much to Ner and his ability to succinctly ask very common questions, the following Q&A was posted...."Knee Popping Squats" "Micro Plates" and "Balancing Out Arm Strength"

Also there is a rather long rant of mine inspired by recent coverage of the steroid issue entitled "Steroid Hysteria: Little Girls Too?" Basically, its just my opinions on the subject (a lot of blah, blah, blah) and a public display of my schizophrenic-like fear that government will one day take away the right to use any and all worthwhile supplements.

More political than weight training related, and if you can't force yourself to read the entire post but are at all interested in the subject, skip to the bottom where there are (I think) some good links.

Interesting Off-Site Reads

Objective: Weight Gain

A nice story with some tips for those of us trying to bulk up can be found here. Note that the bodybuilder in the story states that people unable to gain weight are probably getting "bad food advice."

Not bad workout advice but bad food advice. What you are eating has the biggest influence on your ability to put on pounds.

The Future of Dieting

This is a very interesting look into the future - Nutrigenomics. The next big thing? Quite possibly.

Nutrigenomics is the emerging science that studies the effects that different foods have on different people based on genetic differences. In other words, it may soon become common knowledge that we naturally thin people don't react the same way to food as our bigger friends. Currently, it certainly seems that only we hardgainers have noted that fact.

Imagine going to a supermarket and finding an aisle specifically for ectomorphs. What will be there? I predict a whole lot of high protein foods.

Beyond diet, it is always important to remember the role genetics play in your weight-changing goals. What may be the perfect diet or perfect workout for one person may need some tweaking in order to work for you. We are all unique and react differently to different stimuli.

Bodybuilding Tip of the Month

Lose the "Fast Metabolism Crutch"

I have received 3 emails from people laying claim to the world's fastest metabolism. In addition, I have received countless emails from people who have tried everything to gain weight but had all their plans sabatoged by their fast metabolisms.

So, is your metabolism really due all the blame for your inability to add weight? Not likely. It is probably part of the problem and due part of the blame but if you've become convinced that your metabolism is the one thing preventing you from accomplishing your goals, you're using it as a crutch.

Ever been around an overweight person who was overweight despite eating very little? In other words, ever had an overweight friend who was big only due to a very slow metabolism?

Preposterous, you say? Absolutely. After all, muscle or fat can't come out of thin air, they have to be created from an excess of calories, calories consumed that are not used by the body to produce energy.

The slow metabolism of your overweight friend may be a contributing factor but, alone, it was powerless to create his weight issue just as your fast metabolism is powerless to end your days as a stick figure until you provide it with the ammunition (excess calories) to do so.

Metabolisms may make it more difficult to achieve and maintain a desired weight, but alone they don't make it impossible. Absent a medical cause, even the fastest of metabolisms can be overcome by eating to the point where you give the body an excess of calories. For some this point will be higher then for others but it will always be possible.

It is also important how and what you eat. Eating consistently and nutritiously is necessary for the body to build new healthy cells.

Many, probably most, who consider themselves to have an abnormally slow or fast metabolism are genuinely surprised to find out, when bad eating habits (times, amounts, nutrients) are corrected, that they actually have a fairly normal metabolic rate.

So, is there any way to slow down your metabolism?

Some pharmaceuticals (antihistamines typically) are known to have this effect and are sometimes prescribed by doctors in serious cases. Many "all natural" pills have popped up on the internet claiming to have this effect but lack the science or studies to back up their claims (AVOID THEM).

One way to effectively lower your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate = The amount of energy used for normal bodily functions -digestion, breathing, etc.) is actually to severely reduce your calorie intake. A natural response of the body is to slow the metabolism to conserve fuel. Of course, quite obviously, this isn't going to help you gain weight.

Another way you can effectively slow your metabolism is by getting older. Over time, beginning in your late twenties, your metabolism will slow by about 3-5 % a decade.

Now, not one of those options is appealing (or shouldn't be) to those troubled by a fast metabolism. So what is the alternative?

Embrace your metabolism.

That's right, embrace it. Stop using it as a crutch. Trust me, once you get some weight on and then are looking to give your bulk a little definition, you may just find you actually do have a pretty cool metabolism.

So the next time someone takes a gander at you and says, "Boy, you must really have a fast metabolism to keep that thin," tell them that, yes, you do have a fast metabolism but more than likely it is poor eating habits that are primarily responsible for your being so thin.

Or, better yet, just smile and think that to yourself while you distance yourself from that person (in my experience, people that make comments like that tend to be very annoying).

From the In-Box - Q&A

Unexplained Weight Gain

...I have always been what I consider normal weight for my height... I have been losing weight over the past few months and now others are noticing too. I have tried eating more and this seemed to stopped the losses, but I am not able to gain more back...(from Chris).

Significant unexplained weight gain or weight loss should always be examined for a medical cause. So, first get a check-up with your doctor. Many medical reasons exist that can be responsible for unexplained weight changes, some serious and some not so serious.

My Opinion on Supplements

...I am planning to start a weight gain program like your site recommends but am wondering one thing - do you think supplements are a good idea or just a waste of money? I read most of your site and in some places, you seem like you do suggest supplements and in other places, you seem to advise against them. (from Keith)

That's a funny question. I can definitely see where you can get confused on exactly what my opinion on supplements is. This is undoubtedly something I need to work on clarifying site-wide.

It goes like this...Supplements can and will help to your weight gain goals if you use them correctly. They are not, however, essential. Too often people believe the marketing hype that goes into them and expect way too much from them.

Consequently, they get way too much credit for successes and way too much blame for failures. If you don't believe me, visit any bodybuilding message board on the net. It is not uncommon to see...

"I gained 20 lbs. using Supplement A! It is incredible"

followed by...

"I got no gains using Supplement A, it is a horrible product."

The true story behind such posts is that the first poster did a lot of things well to get those gains - he ate well and he trained hard. Whether he knows it or not, Supplement A was a minor factor in his success.

The second poster probably ate horribly and trained insufficiently, probably expected Supplement A to do all the work for him. Supplement A was not responsible for his failure.

Supplements are marketed in a way to make you believe that they have amazing powers. They simply don't. If you believe they do you are setting yourself up for a lot of frustration. If you believe their hype, they will likely be hindering rather than helping you towards your goals.

Use supplements to "supplement" your diet. To help you get to your daily caloric goals consistently they can be invaluable. The muscle-building supplements like creatine can give you a little extra oomph. But no supplement will add an ounce of muscle to you on its own. You have to create an excess of calories and you have to inspire the body through your training to produce muscle.

If you understand this, supplements can become a true muscle building helper. If you don't, you're simply throwing good money down the drain.

Changing Up Your Routines

How often should you switch up your routine so your body doesn't get used to the same workout? (from Johnny)

This page, Changing Up your Weight Training Routines, will give you some ideas about when and what changes to make with your routines. The common sense rule that trumps all those suggestions, however, is "don't fix what aint broken." If you are making good progress doing one thing, don't change it just for the sake of change. Doing all the suggested tracking methods (scale, body fat, body-tape) will give you the information you need to know exactly what is working.

For example, if your body-tape measurements show that your legs are growing but your chest is not, you may consider sticking with your leg workouts while changing the way you stress your chest.

Future Plans

As mentioned above, this section of the last ezine made me look rather silly. So I won't make the mistake of making any promises this time. I will say that I have many plans to make the site bigger and better and if I find the time, I'm going to work towards that. How's that for being non-committal?

In the mean time, please keep writing. Your questions and success stories are what the site is built on.