Tag Archive: Bodybuilding


Diet tricks for fat loss – intermittent fast & carb cycling

Filed under: BB Supplements & Diet — Leave a comment
July 4, 2017

Diet tricks for fat loss

I get many guys asking me about “intermittent fasting” and “carb cycling” and similar “tricks” in the search to drop body fat.

Let’s look at this objectively.

I am not going to shoot any of these methods down, I think there are enough counter-proof that at least for some it is working.

However the people contacting me is never advanced athletes but Joe average who plays around with bodybuilding and want to get a quick road to loosing fat.

This is where the problem comes in.

The advanced athletes employing these diet tricks are already at very low body fat and are preparing for a show or event. In their toolbox which they use constantly, are their fat-callipers, tape measure and weighing scale and caloric counter. They approach this very scientifically and got the whole process down to a tee. They hardly ever make a mistake. But even then some do make a mistake and the consequences are close to disastrous. The truth is that with these tricks they are walking a thin line and it is very easy to make a mistake. You really need to know what you are doing and monitor the body extremely closely. You need to be very scientific about it to the extreme!

But Joe average is not a guy who will put in the time and effort these guys do with these tricks. He will not daily pull out the fat calipers, the tape measurement and scale and double-check calories etc. He just wants a simple to follow solution that will allow him to shed fat. And this is NEVER a simple solution. This is a hardcore solution. And nearly 99% of Joe average who have tried these hardcore solutions have badly burned their fingers. By burned fingers I mean training derailed, getting sick (due to immune system dropping as a result of too much required from the body) or losing all the hard-earned muscle in the process.

If you want my complete training/diet/supps system customised specifically for your body and goals, have a look here: https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/

The risks simply outweight the benefits for Joe average …by far.

It is not worth it.

For Joe average and most advanced athletes it makes sense to follow a proven sensible approach.

Such a sensible approach is to monitor the body every 14 days with fat calipers and a weighing scale. Then to interpret the results with wisdom and make the necessary caloric adjustments to reach your goal.

In the cutting phase you want to lose fat and keep muscles safe (not necessarily build muscle but definitely not losing muscle!).

In the building phase the goal is adding a little body fat (2%-4%) and built muscle. Whenever you have to adjust calories, never do it with more than 10% in 14 day period up or down. The body need time to adjust and by adjusting calories with more than 10% will throw the body’s normal responses off for up to 1 month which makes the 14 day monitoring very difficult to interpret correctly.

The type of diet to follow is simple.

For cutting: https://gertlouw.com/2014/08/16/cutting-diet-challenges/

For building: https://gertlouw.com/2014/10/27/muscle-building-phase-sample-diets/

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Now I hope this let’s you think twice about venturing these risky paths. If you want to use me as an example…I have never done these diet tricks, simply because they are too risky! I am not about to sacrifice my hard-worked by slipping up once.

Wish you all happy training!

Gert Louw

GUYS & GIRLS DREAM BODYc

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The hand you’ve been dealt with…

Filed under: Be MOTIVATED!, SURVIVAL TIPS for Cancer/Fibromyalgia/HIV+ — 10 Comments
May 3, 2017

Those of you that know me a bit better, will know that the hand of cards I have been dealt with in the last 12 years is, well, not (!) a good hand.

Gert Louw PAIN1

Twice now I had very close calls with death and been fighting the good battle non-stop the past 12 years. Lots of pain, kidney problems, liver problems and many other serious health issues with very dark clouds hanging over me.

But you know what, through it all, I’ve put my poker face on and played that hand of cards to the best of my ability! I have grown immensely as a person. Suffering and pain and dark clouds hanging over your future is the BEST opportunity to become the YOU, you never was. Does not matter what your prognosis…you will not exhale that last breath until God decide it is time. Make this an opportunity to look into that mirror and say “I like what I see, I like the heart of the person looking back at me!”. Apart from personal growth it also allowed me to grow in my walk of faith with God. Let this be your moment with God Almighty…believe me nothing brings more peace and hope.

No-one is going to live forever, tomorrow might be your last day, you might be run over, no one knows. So stand tall and stand proud, whatever dark cloud is hanging over you is irrelevant…play that hand of cards with your best poker face and win!

I wish you all a beautiful and blessed day…

GERT LOUW LIB20

If you want my training/diet/supps system customised for you, have a look here: https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/

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Best FREE body transformation system available for all ages

Filed under: BB Supplements & Diet, BB Training & Exercises, Be MOTIVATED! — Leave a comment
April 22, 2017

Here is my latest video I just finished. It discuss the best FREE body transformation system out there available. Those of you that dreamed of that new body…well, now is your chance! MAKE THIS HAPPEN!

This video will take you step by step through the 4 major detailed aspects that must be in place:

  1. Structure of attack
  2. Diet & Lifestyle (for printout versions of diet: https://gertlouw.com/2014/08/16/cutting-diet-challenges/ )
  3. Training system
  4. Bodybuilding & health supplements required

Click here to watch the video “THE BEST FREE BODY TRANSFORMATION SYSTEM AVAILABLE”

If you want my more advanced system, fully customised for your body, situation and goals, click here: gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets

Happy training! Cheers…
Gert Louw

Gert Louw dbicep

 

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A Guide to MUSCLES for teenage boys

Filed under: BB Training & Exercises, Be MOTIVATED! — Leave a comment
March 27, 2017

Click here to view video “A guide to muscles for a teenage boy”

 

Had quite a few requests to do an article for youngsters who want to build muscle.

Few things are so healthy looking than a young guy with a good aesthetic looking physique!

So as a young guy…what must you do to grow and what must you avoid? (under 16 do preferably just body resistance exercises not weights.)

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I am going to give you a quick and easy guide.

The easiest way is to look at what to avoid since this will tell you by implication what to do. Things to avoid  is things that will limit muscle growth and even results in smaller muscles! Many guys into their 30’s and even 40’s never learn these basic muscle building errors and they can never understand why they do not put on size. LEARN! By cutting this out of your gym/lifestyle will ensure you create an optimal environment for growth and fat loss from a young age.

15 THINGS TO AVOID by a youngster (over 16) who want to grow muscles:

  1. Overtraining – you cannot train more than 6 days a week. Remember each of these sessions is going to be intense and very hard on the body. The body need at least 1 preferably 2 days a week to recover and build.
  2. Too long training sessions. Muscles do NOT grow in gym. They actually getting torn down and hurt and literally become smaller. In gym is only where you STIMULATE the muscle for growth. Healing and repair must first occur before growth sets in. Never train a muscle still sore from previous workout. Growth occurs outside while your rest and recover. So do not spend more than 60 minutes in gym!
  3. Junk food! What you eat is what you will be. Outside the gym your muscles need the right food to grow…junk food is NOT it!
  4. Too little food. The muscles cannot (!) grow if the body thinks it is in a famine environment…then your body will use the muscles for energy and go catabolic (equals smaller muscles) and only as a last resort use the fat storage. You must eat enough food to grow and to lose fat!
  5. Too little sleep! The most important ingredient to help muscles grow is getting in enough sleep. You cannot expect muscles to grow with just 2-3 hours sleep a night. At least 6-8 hours of solid sleep.
  6. Bad Form – bad form or technique will not stimulate growth and will open the door for serious injury. NEVER throw a weight! Slow controlled movements.
  7. Showing off in gym. The sooner you get the ego under control the sooner you will start growing. NEVER show off. Lift the weight that you can manage in a controlled fashion. You WILL hurt yourself showing off and you will make your name an ass!
  8. Listen to everything everyone says in gym and taking it for the gospel! Be carefull what you believe and to whom you listen. Verify the facts before following someone’s suggestion or trying something new. VERIFY! VERIFY! VERIFY!
  9. Training with the wrong partner. Having a training partner not focused will seriously hamper your success. The training partner you choose must add to your success not take away!
  10. Exercise technique/breathing. Learn to breathe correctly. Positive and negative moves of an exercise must be equal speed. Try and squeeze the muscle when reaching the top of the move.
  11. Good bodies are NEVER created through exercise machines. They are created by free weights. Why? Well very simple: free weights uses and activates all the stabilization muscles which are crucial for a balanced looking aesthetic physique. Machines bypass all these stabilization muscles and result in an unbalanced muscle development…full stop!
  12. Do not trust on supplements to be the answer. VERY FEW supplements actually work. Consider only the following: Creatine, Whey protein, BCAA’s, L-glutamine and maybe a caffeine pill while training. The rest is just money down and empty pit!
  13. Anabolics is not a good idea, especially for a youngster. You got more than enough testosterone and HGH in your veins. USE IT! Using anabolics WILL result in smaller balls and it WILL result in impotence and no desire for sex…just for starters. You really, REALLY need to know what you are doing venturing this road and if you MUST do it, only after you had your kids!
  14. Alcohol! Want a rippling 6-pack? Well this is NOT going to happen with regular consumption of alcohol. Keep it to one day a week and NOT more than 500ml of wine or the equivalent. Alcohol in males create a fat layer around the internal organs and result in a bloated looking tummy which is very difficult to get away. No good body is ever build on regular alcohol consumption no matter what the Hollywood perception is!
  15. Training too light. If you do not stimulate the muscle for growth, no growth will occur. Stimulation only happen when the muscle is challenged. One sure way to do this is to train regularly to absolute muscle failure! The muscle must have at the very least a slight ache the next day…that is a sign that you have done a good job!

I have a blueprint system developed for young guys to create the environment for growth and make optimal use of the high testosterone and HGH levels…have a look here:  https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/

Wish you all happy training!

Gert Louw

Gert Louw 1.jpg

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Incredible LIFE inspiration at age 52

Filed under: Be MOTIVATED! — 4 Comments
September 3, 2016

Hi guys and girls, Gert Louw from Cape Town.

Every year just after my birthday it is sort of a tradition for me to do a flexing and inspirational video.

This year it was my 52nd birthday.

So here is the video just after my birthday:

Click here to view video “Life INSPIRATION at age 52”

 

With this video I want to inspire a little.

Neither your age, nor your health should ever (!) stand in your way.

Now, most of you know by now that 12 years ago I nearly died and doctors did not give me any good news. But with faith I moved forward and apply healthy living on all levels and also did some house cleaning and moving closer to God ( I am a follower of Jesus Christ).

Obviously it was a long and hard road and the body took long to respond to this healthy living but the wheel did turn and it is keeping on turning as a result.

Now, I am not naïve in thinking everyone with serious health issues can and will turn around like I did, but what I do believe is that with faith in God and by living very healthy, one CAN make a huge difference. Obviously you need your doctor’s approval to embark on such a journey.

But, let me share with you the core of my healthy living

Gert Louw face2

 

My training program is as follows:

  • Mondays – Chest, Biceps and abs
  • Tuesdays – Shoulders, Traps and calves
  • Wednesdays – rest
  • Thursdays – Back, triceps and abs
  • Fridays – Legs, upper pecs and calves
  • Saturdays & Sundays – rest

 

My supplement regime

Health supplements:

  • ALA (Alpha Lipoic Acid)
  • CQ10 (Co Enzyme Q10)
  • Omega 3+6
  • Strong Multi Vitamin
  • Slow release Vit C

Muscle building supplements:

  • Whey protein powder
  • L-Glutamine
  • BCAA

 

How do I structure my training?

I do a 3-months Cutting phase with a very specific cutting phase diet and training with lighter weights at a higher rep range followed by 1 week rest and then a 3-month building phase with a very specific building phase diet and training with heavier weights to absolute muscle failure at lower reps (about 8 reps per set) followed by 1 week rest and the repeat.

This allow me to build muscle but also to recover the strained tendons and joints.

 

About my diets

I make use of one of the top fitness nutritionists in the field (BERNADETTE BEYER) to work out my diets for each phase according to my bodytype and goals. This is the crucial part of your success and without a very focussed diet there will be no success.

My blog contains a LOT of info for free that can help you through all these processes.

But for those interested, I also offer my exact training/supplem and diet system via the ADVANCED SYSTEM II (option E). The same nutritionist I use will also work out your diet solution and I myself attend to working out your training and supplement attack based. If you want to signup, just choose option E via the following link: https://gertlouw.com/contact-me

Now, everyone…happy training!

Cheers

Gert Louw

Gert Louw REACH FOR THE STARS small

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Major “ESPN” scam supplements

Filed under: EXPOSED supplements! — 11 Comments
August 30, 2016

Hi everyone, just want to give you a heads up about one of the latest major scam supplement products out there. It is marketed under ESPN (which is NOT the real ESPN) and in the advertisement, fake stories are made up to support ridiculous claims of it’s worth.

 

These two scam products are: HYPERTONE FORCE and HYPERTONE EXCEL.

Neither the gold medalist, Wayde van Niekerk or me (Gert Louw), both mentioned as “proof” in the article, has ever touched this product. Both our photos stolen and fake stories written.

Please stay clear, this is a well known trick to get hooks into your credit card for monthly deductions and you’re going to get a worthless product.

Never (!) believe marketing articles with fantastical claims over the internet. 99% of them are scams to get access to your credit cards.

Here is a link to another in-depth article on Supplement Critique about these 2 scam products: http://www.supplementcritique.com/hyper-tone-force-and-hyper-tone-excel-review-7-big-reasons-this-is-a-scam/

Here the actual scam advert:

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Cheat and still win with your diet

Filed under: BB Supplements & Diet, Be MOTIVATED! — 2 Comments
June 8, 2016

Cheat and still win with your diet!

Click here to view video “CHEAT & STILL WIN WITH YOUR DIET“

Now this is probably what everyone wants to hear – lol! BUT, the truth is, there are methods to cheat and still get to the top!

Life is not meant to be without a dessert once on a while…and I am talking Baked Chocolate Fondant with oozing real sweet chocolate out if it’s center with ice cream (real ! ice cream) liberally used. The same goes for the odd glass of wine/whiskey or beer or whatever blows your skirt up, even a chocolate!

A certain balance needs to be applied to stay sane with anything in life. I’ve just done a 3 weeks severe cutting diet, sticking 100% to it…and, it’s was hell! The more you are going to disallow yourself a treat once in a while, the bigger the chance that your diet will fail completely in the end. You would just say…”I had enough”. And you know what? I have big compassion for that…so let’s have a look here how (!) you can cheat regularly without crashing your diet and keep yourself sane and focused to stick 98% to your diet.

Sundays to Fridays – sorry that (!) is where you stick 100% to your diet.

Get yourself some sugarless, carb less, fat free sweets. Do some searching and buy those that have as little calories as possible…like below 10! Then during the Sunday to Friday period…pop a few (3-4) of those during the day when you feel the urge to treat yourself a bit. Apart from that – nothing else.

The key is always to eat all your regular meals and drink all your water (2L-4L)…THAT is what keeps you full and keep the urges to eat wrong away.

Obviously, if you are at your target body fat then some different rules apply. Then you are allowed 2 -3 cheats evenly spaced out during the week. But for this documents purpose, let’s assume we are dealing with all those that are still far from the target body fat levels.

Your cheat should be left for a weekend day…when you are less stressed, more relaxed and doing something you like. This cheat will go to great lengths to make you not feeling deprived of some great things and food in life. Even if you don’t feel like a cheat, maybe it is a good idea…simply to help you stay balanced and not feeling deprived later on in the week.

Gert Louw LEGS CB

Now, “HOW?” should you cheat?

There can only be one cheat and that cheat can only be once per day per week on just 1 day of the week!

First you eat the diet as normal for that day as specified.

Let’s look at the next cheat scenario’s:

1.       Ice Cream cheat / Soft drink / dessert cheat / potato crisps – once anytime during day. Then for 2 of your meals for the day cut out carbs completely. One small meals carbs and one larger meals carbs.

2.       Chocolate cheat 150g – anytime during day. The same as above:  For 2 of your meals for the day cut out carbs completely. One small meals carbs and one larger meals carbs.

3.       Alcohol cheat (500ml equivalent wine) – anytime during day. Usually late afternoon or evening you will use this cheat. So for the evening meal cut out carbs completely and ONLY clean fatless meat and salad…no sauces, no carbs, nothing else! And definitely no dessert. If you want dessert, then no wine! One or the other… [Note: be very careful with alcohol. It is the key reason why men, especially older men, struggle to loose fat around the tummy and have a bloated look to the tummy. Best is to cut alcohol COMPLETELY out and have other types of cheats.]

 

Remember that with any of the above cheats it will set you back 24 to 48 hours before your body reverted to the level before you cheated and only then will it be able to start losing fat again. So even though you have cheated it is STILL very much possible to loose fat for the week, but only within above rules.

 

I strongly believe that the only winning approach is a balanced approach. That keeps you focused and you feel like “life” is not deprived of you. Part of this balance is to cheat on a weekly basis with your diet by applying above wisdom!

 

Wish you all happy dieting and a great training week!
Gert Louw

http://www.gertlouw.com

Gert Louw green small

 

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Transforming your body STEP-BY-STEP

Filed under: BB Supplements & Diet, BB Training & Exercises, Be MOTIVATED! — 7 Comments
May 26, 2016

In all my coaching systems and many articles on my site, I regularly refer to the process of transforming into a wow physique by “climbing a ladder step by step”.

Facebook profil

Here I want to explain as to WHAT exactly I mean by that.

Now, many people think they are starting to climb the ladder and start transforming, and they actually start doing rather great, but then stuff starts happening…things like: getting sick regularly, tendon/joint injury or other serious injury or they lose hope because they just cannot put on muscle no matter how hard they train and some just cannot lose fat no matter how hard they diet.

This is when the train stops and they get off the ladder.

Not because it was not possible but because they LACK knowledge.

KNOWLEDGE in terms off:

  1. You CANNOT lose fat if the calories are too low…then your body enters famine mode and you WILL lose all your hard earned muscle first before it uses the fat – no matter how HARD you train! There is a sweet spot with calories where the body use fat for energy and keep muscles safe. You need to find it. (In my SYSTEMS I and II this is covered).
  2. You CANNOT build muscle if: caloric intake too low, body fat too low or you do too much cardio!
  3. You WILL get sick regularly if you continue pounding your body week after week, month after month, in the wrong fashion and you do not use certain basic health supporting supplements.
  4. You WILL run into serious tendon and joint issues if you do not alternate every 3 months between BUILDING and CUTTING phases to allow healing and strengthening.

All of these are covered in detail in my COACHING SYSTEMS (https://gertlouw.com/contact-me), but the bottom line which brings all these together are a continuous alternating between a 3 month CUTTING PHASE and a 3 monthly BUILDING phase.

Each Phase has its own specific training methodology and specific type diet.

The two phases are vastly different and by continuously alternating between them, you allow your body every 3 months to go through a process off:

  1. Loosing max fat while protecting muscles in Cutting Phase.
  2. Building max muscle at slightly higher body fat levels in the Building Phase.
  3. Allowing your body to be fed correctly for your exact goal and training methodology for each phase.
  4. Allowing tendons and joints to strengthen and recover regularly in Cutting Phase.
  5. Allowing the body a balanced and healthy approach preventing sickness and injury by not overtraining and stressing the body and immune system.

These 2 phases hold the KEY to climbing the ladder. One step on the ladder = 1 BP (Building phase) + 1 CP (Cutting Phase). After each step you will be able to see a significant difference in shape and size. THIS is how you climb up the ladder.

Look at the following graph showing the BODY FAT variation during the phases

This is what your body fat will do when sticking to my SYSTEM I or II training that incorporates these principles (BP = Building Phase, CP = Cutting Phase):

Climing the ladder BODYFAT

Every BP1 + CP1 covers a 6 month period. At the end of each of the cutting phases your body fat is lower and lower till typically after a 3 year period you reach crazy levels like 5% body fat.

 

Let’s look what your muscle size will do when alternating between the phases:

Climing the ladder MUSCLE MASS

At the end of each of the cutting phases your body weight is higher than after the previous cutting phase. That COUPLED with the fact that the body fat is lower after each Cutting Phase compared to the previous cutting phase makes a HUGE difference on how the body looks and the amount of lean mass you are carrying.

THIS (!) is how you climb the ladder…not after one cutting phase or one building phase but after various of these phases. Stopping with the process simply mean you stop climbing the ladder.

Simply put – After each Building Phase your muscle weight is higher at lower body fat levels, and during the Cutting Phase you show your results, keeping that muscles safe and dropping the body fat on each Cutting Phase lower and lower than in the previous Cutting Phases until after a few years you look back and say…”WOW!”

Wish you all happy training!

Cheers – Gert Louw

gert louw B&A

 

 

 

 

 

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Sickness, injuries and gym off-time

Filed under: Be MOTIVATED! — 8 Comments
May 5, 2016

This is where a LOT of dedicated people get derailed completely! They get sick or injured and well, that is where their road to transforming the body stops…dead in it’s tracks. Until that point they are so motivated and charged up and then that happens…and the de-motivation is just too much. They just never get it off the ground again afterwards.

Right now, I am down from gym with kidney infection and this will keep me out of gym for close to 7 days. But after the 7 days off, I’ll be back doing one week light work and then all back to normal.

Not ONE of us are spared sickness or injuries. Now, injuries we can manage better especially with applying more wisdom as we get older (warming-up, stretching and simply avoiding high risk exercises for injury). But sickness is difficult to prevent. Sure we can apply the basics (anti-oxidants, multi-vit, CQ10 and ALA) and wash our hands regularly with anti-bacterial soap/spray, but even with that, chances are we will still get flu in the winter and still get the odd infection.

It is not a matter of preventing sickness and injuries but a matter of accepting that they form part of the training/body transformation environment as a given. You WILL get sick and you WILL get injured. But that must never (!) derail your efforts. Accept that it will push you back one to two weeks. Do not allow yourself to get negative about it, it is PART of the whole process and those with a winning mindset accepts that!

Now, what is even more important is that after a week of sickness, be careful to go in full force back to gym. Your body is still weak and in a process of recovery. Your immune system not nearly back to normal. Pushing yourself to the limits the first week back can and most probably will result in a recurrence of the sickness even to a worse degree putting you out gym for 3 weeks or more. That first week back after being sick make sure you do not do more than 50% your normal capacity. Go through all the motions and exercises but keep the exertion levels low.

Then the 2nd week back in training you will find you feel yourself again. That is where you start pushing the limits again.

A KEY ingredient of the winning mindset is to force yourself to stick 100% to your diet while sick or injured. Doing this will go great lengths to keep the motivation levels high! This is NOT the time to binge or eat what you want. This is the CRITICAL time to feed the body correctly. Sometimes I experienced when going back after a week sick I actually am in better shape than before, simply because of the control I had with my diet and my body that actually had a well deserved break!

Now, my timing for my kidney infection is real bad because 21st May I got a photoshoot coming up. But that is where all your hard work you have put in over the previous months and years will show the dividends…

Wish you all good health and injury free training!

Gert Louw

http://www.gertlouw.com

Gert Louw INJURY

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15 Principles for a GREAT life…

Filed under: Be MOTIVATED! — 18 Comments
April 20, 2016

Gert Louw LIFE INSPIRATION11 small

 

Now everyone by now know I am not your regular TRANSFORMATION COACH.

I believe in a holistic approach, addressing your complete person and being..inside and out. Achieving such balance and resultant happiness WILL have a dramatic effect on your will and dedication to work out and achieve that dream body…believe me I have walked that road.

So in the next piece I am getting deep again…but it is so important that you really read and think about each point and to apply in your life where it fall short:

We all want to live a life of fulfillment, happiness and a life with some meaning. We all want to be able to say one day on our deathbed…”I have no regrets, I lived all my dreams…”

Sure having a great muscled body is one of those dreams…but that is just a single one in a sea of hopes and dreams we each have within us. A life of fulfillment is dreams lived, not a single dream but ALL our dreams…

How do we get too that point where we truly have no regrets about wasted dreams ?

Apply these rules of wisdom to your daily life and you will be surprised by just how great and awesome life really is:

  1. This is YOUR life – Realize that. No one must ever control you. Each decision you make, will affect the now and the future.
  2.  Do what you love OFTEN – search yourself and know what you love doing. I am not talking about sex here! I am talking about things that make you happy…be that skydiving, surfing, hiking trails, sightseeing, birdwatching, etc…
  3. If you don’t like something CHANGE IT – Do not live with regrets. You don’t like being fat…get rid of it. You don’t like being unfit…get fit. You want a muscled body…get one. You want love…give love!
  4. If you don’t have enough time STOP WATCHING TV – cut out the things that drain your time and add nothing to your life and happiness. First to go must be TV!
  5. Stop looking for the love of your life – When you start doing the things you love, you will meet people that share the same passion as you…THAT is where you will meet the love of your life!
  6. Stop over analyzing – Things happen and we cannot do anything about it. The world is a broken place. Stop trying to find reasons. If you have to make right what was wrong, do so…but don’t waste your time and energy in the past.
  7. All emotions are beautiful – cry is beautiful because it cleans the soul, pain is beautiful because it teaches us life, love is beautiful because it feeds the soul and give meaning to life.
  8. Appreciate every bite of food – Food is a blessing, a privilege and never to be taken for granted. The majority of people in the world are hungry right now while you are putting the food in your mouth.
  9. Open you arms, heart and mind to new things – the world is diverse and a beautiful place. Don’t close yourself off from this immense beauty defined by its diversity. EMBRACE IT!
  10. Travel often and don’t fear getting lost – The world has been given to us as a gift. Travel as much as you can. Never be afraid of getting lost…being lost helps us find ourselves again.
  11. Seize opportunities – Keep your eyes and ears open. Each of us is blessed with opportunities meant just for us. It is a gift…but we have to grab it!
  12. Life is about people we meet – make friends everywhere you can! We cannot live alone, we need people around us to make us feel alive and inject happiness in our life’s. Even that drunk person pushing his life belongings in a trolley…you will be amazed at the stories and lost passions he can share with you, and your passion might just give him new hope.
  13. Life is short – very (!) short indeed. NEVER EVER be on your deathbed and have regrets about things you have not done. Live life and do everything you dream about!
  14. Live your passion – whatever your passion is, LIVE IT with all your energy.
  15. But most important of all – SEEK GOD ALWAYS…

Now go out everybody and LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST!

Happy training.

Gert Louw

http://www.gertlouw.com

Gert Louw sea

 

 

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Vacation flexing!

Filed under: Be MOTIVATED! — Leave a comment
April 4, 2016

I had a 10 day rest with wife and kid. Few months then I am hitting 52.

So while rested and relaxed I just always seems to have the urge to flex the hard earned muscles a bit!

We (me, wife and kid) visited all the local quaint little towns and wine farms – Hermanus, Struisbaai, Agulhas, Napier, Standford, Bredasdorp, Arniston, etc…

On my last day I did a short flexing video while we were eating out at one of the restaurants on a wine farm – dicy move, because I took it in the public restroom of the restaurant (thus while I kept my sunglasses on!).

During the holiday after 1o days of no training, binging and eating just what I wanted. Picked up about 2kg body fat.

In fear of being busted while doing the video in the restroom (which would not have been nice, actually real bad!), I finished up as quickly as possible – so it is a short vid!

Click here to watch video “Restroom muscle flexing”

 

Here are a couple of photos while on holiday:

Now for the next 3 weeks I am preparing for photoshoot and get body fat levels down with at least 1.5% – 2%. No wine, no binging…sticking perfectly to diet!

Wish you all happy training!

Cheers

Gert Louw

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Acquiring the winning mindset to transform your body.

Filed under: Be MOTIVATED! — 6 Comments
March 31, 2016

 

Click here to watch video “How to get a winning mindset for a WOW transformation?”

Nearly all of us have this dream to be the best we can be. Too have a great, ripped, muscled physique that impresses and exudes health, wealth and happiness. We seemed to have been programmed with this urge and I believe that to be true…we are created in the image of God.

But back to reality, life is difficult. Work, school, studying, marriage, family, kids, meetings and a rat race trying to stay ahead and on top.

I have a blueprint transformation system developed to create the environment for growth and fat loss…have a look here:  https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/

We easily make decisions at the beginning of a new year or after being inspired by someone to reach for that dream body we so much want.

And sure, that is the first and most important step each of us have to take on the road to success BUT, and this is a very big BUT, 99% of those taking this first step have not acquired and mastered the mindset that needs to be in place to push through to reach goal and beyond.

Gert Louw AGULHAS

Let’s look at important aspects of this mindset that must be in place before the journey starts:

 

IT WILL HURT

Do not think for one moment reaching a dream body is without pain. LIFE IS PAIN! You will never ever be in a situation where you will not experience some form of physical or emotional/other pain. Being alive, means that you WILL experience pain. The whole idea is to minimize, control and use this pain to your advantage. To reach your dream physique you will be working out intensely. This will cause muscle pain and resultant muscle growth. Learn to LOVE this pain…this is a signal that you are stimulating your body for growth. There might be injury on your path. This is part of any sport environment. Learn to work around it and do NOT let it derail your efforts. For example: When you have a knee injury, nothing stops you from concentrating on the upper body workouts until it is healed. Even with back injuries under guidance you can still workout safely.

 

IT WILL TAKE TIME

The Hollywood and Western Culture has programmed us to want immediate results and satisfaction. Get that out of your mind very quickly. That is the single biggest reason why people do not push through. We want it and we want it now and if it does not happen within a month or two then why bother. I got one thing to tell you – “NOTHING, BUT NOTHING IN LIFE THAT IS REALLY WORTH IT COMES EASY.” Accept that. A dream body is not designed in months , not even in years for some. It took me 11 years to get to the best shape of my life. Month after month there are small differences and they add up to significant differences on yearly basis and wow differences every few years. You cannot get to the top of a ladder without climbing the steps…only by going up step by step do you get to the top. Sure there are shortcuts people try to take but nothing this side of anabolic steroids can and ever will produce magic results (even with anabolics it takes time and a very focused approach and is NOT an overnight process!). Do NOT believe marketing advertising of supplements. 99% of what is printed and claimed is complete and utter lies.

 

IT WILL REQUIRE DEDICATION

There is no easy way to say this…You will need to be at gym 4-5 days a week, you will need to motivate yourself for intense workouts (and learn to love it!), you will need to make extreme effort with your diet preparing the food the day before, you will need to have 100% dedication to your supplement regime. This is what it will take.

 

YOU WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFESTYLE

Right now you are probably hanging out with your mates every evening. In future you will have to cut social time to the bare minimum. Your time and focus will now be in a new environment. You need to brace yourself for a total lifestyle change – friends, socializing, eating habits, time spend and more.

Having family requirements make it more challenging but not impossible. In fact your life partner and kids will see the changes and your dedication and that will instill in them even greater respect for you. You will lead now by example and what you are showing them is the best possible example a father can show to his children…that if you want something badly in life, you have to put in the effort and dedication to get there, you will show them everything worth something in life comes with great effort and dedication.

Many people also ask me how I bring my faith in Jesus and my fitness lifestyle together. They see a good looking shredded, muscled guy and struggle to bring faith and this lifestyle in the same environment. I find it very easy and actually find that my dedication to the fitness lifestyle brings me closer to God because it teaches me dedication and discipline. For me Jesus Christ is in the center of everything I do. I never cut Him out of anything and I am not shy to give Him the credit for what I’ve reached. Even before I sometimes do a heavy set…I will quickly close my eyes for strength from my Lord. I don’t care what people say or think around me…I am not doing this for them…I am doing this for me.

 

THERE WILL BE TEMPTATION

Be under no misconception…there will be many reasons for giving up. This is the exact reason why so few reach success. You will be hungry, you will miss out on drink dates with friends, you might even have to change friends, your body will ache and pain and there will be days that you feel drained and without focus. Those are the days that you just have to PUSH THROUGH and JUST DO IT. Just get yourself to gym and just do what you need to do. Steer clear from foods that tempt you. Do NOT keep those foods in your house. Temptation is what will separate the men from the boys.

Never use work-pressure or deadlines as an excuse. You HAVE to find your solutions around that. If it means early morning or late evening training, so be it. NEVER use the excuse “but I cannot stick to the meals because I do not have time at work to eat.” It takes you 2 min to pour water in a shaker, put in the protein powder and shake and drink it…2 minutes, nothing more!

This especially is one of the key areas where I found my faith helps me a lot to stay focused.

 

The above is just some of the key areas for the right mindset, but I believe these are the most important.

Master them and you WILL reach success.

Success is within each of us but so is failure as well.

You have been given the ability to reach to the stars and be everything God ever meant you to be…DO NOT LET THIS WONDERFULL GIFT PASS YOU BY.

 

I wish you success on your journey.

Be blessed

Gert Louw

TRANSFORMATION COACHING – more info here:  https://gertlouw.com/contact-me/

Gert Louw COACHING

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The road to your dreams

Filed under: Be MOTIVATED! — 8 Comments
March 16, 2016

Gert Louw LIFE LIFE

Later on in life, many of us have so much regrets…about what we did not do, about what we wished we did, about what we did wrong, about the hurt we caused people close to us, about many things…
But this is the road we have walked and chosen. It was not laid out for us…no one forced us to walk the path, we made the choices and took the steps.

But why are there so many exceptions? Why are there so many people out there that go against all the odds and reach exceptional heights, living life to the fullest. People that had everything counting against them, sickness, disability, or whatever other aspect that could have hold them back in life. Why do they reach a point, where, no matter their disability, they choose to stand up, start walking the right tracks in life and live their life with integrity and passion. Why can they do it?

The fact is, they are NO different than any of us. Through their struggle (disability, sickness) the sunglasses that covered their eyes have been removed, they can now clearly see how precious and vulnerable life really is. They appreciate life soooo much more. This clear vision make them stand up and choose to walk the right paths in life, to make right with God, to reach for their dreams with passion and to life live…the right way. And they rose to such heights that they completely overshadow the rest of us who have everything going for us.

LEARN FROM THESE PEOPLE…

You, me and everyone have the power to change the road you are walking into a new direction. A direction where you live life right and with integrity…and be ALL you can be.
But, it most certainly will take you out of your comfort zone, it will be inconvenient and it will mean you will have to change from the inside as well as the outside, it might even be painful.
But only YOU can make this happen, no-one else is going to force you. So keep sitting on the couch, sipping the beer and live a “wild uncontrolled life” or reach for the stars and live life to the fullest – be all you can be – have no regrets at the end of your life – live a life of integrity and live with PASSION.

May this inspire you too great things…

Gert Louw

TRANSFORMATION COACHING: https://gertlouw.com/contact-me/

gert life

 

 

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Training for size with weak wrists

Filed under: BB Training & Exercises — Leave a comment
March 7, 2016

Although even some young bodybuilders struggle with weak wrists it is most frequently the domain of the over 40 lifter.

The wrist simply do not have the power and ability to support the weight being lifted anymore. This could become a huge problem for a person in quest for size, because the key ingredient for growth is through intense, heavy weight lifting regularly to the point of failure.

I am one such person that struggles with weak wrists. I simply cannot hold the size weight required to stimulate enough growth. But I am definitely not going to call it game over…I made plans. And it is MUCH easier than most people think.

The following video is rather crucial to watch to fully understand exactly what and how I am doing it.

Click here to view video “Training for size with weak wrists”

 

Let me try to explain:

  1. You must get a wrist supporting rubber grabbing “glove”, like the one showed in the video.
  2. To make sure that the part that folds over the wrist is secure and do not come loose while engaged in heavy lifting, duck tape must be used as per instruction in the video. (Tape it on both wrists securing the part that folds over.)
  3. With every (!) weight you lift (dumbbells & barbels, pullups, seated rows for back and especially shrugs) the rubber part of the glove must be wrapped around the weight where your hand would go and then your hand must go over the rubber part in the reverse position (see video for exact method).
  4. This would alleviate the pressure on the wrist easily by up to 80%.
  5. When performing bench presses use the overhand position with the thumb in the same direction as all the other fingers. Let the weight of the bar rests on the lower part of just the palm of your hand so that no pressure is applied on the wrist. Do not clasp the thumb the other way around the bar. This put undue pressure on the wrist.

The above sounds simple, but I guarantee you that it will enhance your ability GREATLY to lift serious weights again without hurting the wrists and put you straight back into growth territory.

This is the way I’ve been lifting for the last 5 years and now at close to 52 I am in the best shape of my life.

Hope this help guys…be wise and GROW!

 

Those interested in the online transformation coaching I provide – check here: https://gertlouw.com/contact-me/

 

Gert Louw

http://www.gertlouw.com

gert2b

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Walking by faith

Filed under: Be MOTIVATED!, SURVIVAL TIPS for Cancer/Fibromyalgia/HIV+ — 25 Comments
March 4, 2016

Walking by faith – Everyone knows by now there are a deeper side to me and a life altering back story.

But I have never really told my story about my walk in faith.

I am opening my heart here and I know there are risks…because the world is not always a good place to lay your heart bare. But this is the time to do it…my walk in faith has brought me to this point where I feel compelled to share.

So those that want to know about a story of pain, hope, miracles and LIFE, read on.

As many of you know, 11 years ago (at age 40) I was lying on my “deathbed” in hospital. At one point no blood pressure and heartbeat and ready to die. A brutal attack and mutilation left me with a broken soul and the will to live has left me, my heart was filled with darkness and pain which I could not carry anymore.

Me 2 months after hospital:

rotaste1

 

Then the unexpected happened. While I was lying in my hospital bed, weak and not expecting anything but death, I heard a voice, God’s voice. The voice was clear…”Gert, I am offering you life…I have a plan for you. You must choose…”

I cannot put in words that moment…I experienced an incredible beauty, softness, kindness, pureness,  holiness, love and I saw LIFE…and in that moment my life changed. I was heartbroken, I was weak and I spend a lot of time in conversation with God over the next few days lying in my bed. I was soooo close to choosing death…but this unexpected experience showed me LIFE and I made my choice.

Sure, before this I knew about God and I knew the Bible. But this changed my world. Suddenly God was not just in a book anymore but He was more real to me than this world around me. And for just that brief moment I felt the touch of God…and I was utterly overwhelmed and unprepared.

Two weeks in hospital and I was strong enough to leave. Prognosis not good…some doctors gave me a couple of years. But it was not in their hands, I chose life and God was in control.

I was a changed man…but, the pain and darkness in my heart of what happened was not over. The weakness I have, is that I put a lid on things and push it deep down, trying to bury it…never really dealing with it.

My walk in faith deepened over the next years.

Now at 51 I am a living miracle of God. The body is still broken. Kidneys functioning at 50%, struggling with my liver, and that is just the tip of the iceberg with my serious health problems. But that is insignificant for God…look at me…with my severe health issues and being expected to be long dead by now, God has turned this around to the extend that I am looking the healthiest and fittest I ever did in my life. For Him, NOTHING is impossible.  He is in control, not the doctors, not me, not medical science.

Me, today…4 months away from 52:

gert

 

Now this all sound incredible and it is, but my world was about to be rocked again. God knew that the pain and darkness that I am trying to bury needs to be addressed. Every now and then an event triggers the lid from coming off slightly and the pain and darkness boils over. And recently the Holy Spirit kicked off that lid for good. All that pain and darkness surfaced and there was no way I could put back the lid on again. The Holy Spirit do not mess around…that lid was gone!

I struggled to breath, it felt like my heart was tearing in two…I pleaded with the Holy Spirit to please ask God to come and take my life…I could not bear the pain, it was overwhelming. My power to push it down was gone.

 

But let me give you a glimpse into how incredible God works.

The Holy Spirit literally forced me to walk into a church I do not know the next day, and walk up to the first friendly face I see and tell him I need someone to pray with me, now (!)  and intercede on my behalf before God. Now anyone that knows me, will realize this is the worst thing anybody can ask me to do. I am a total introvert, sitting always quietly in the corner doing my own thing and NEVER EVER just walk up to people I don’t know, let alone in an environment total foreign to me. This was going against everything I am.

But instead of doing this, I wanted to die, because this darkness and pain was so intense and overwhelming that again I was at this crossroad point in my life where I had to choose between life and death. I had a young son who I adore and a beautiful loving wife and if it was not for them chances was I was going to choose the easy road out. I was breaking down in tears continuously…and I am NOT an emotional person!

So I DID IT! I just did it in total obedience. I went to the church the Holy Spirit indicated to me, my wife and son by my side. I walked up to the first friendly face I saw and I told him what the Holy Spirit instructed me to do. He smiled and said I must go and sit, someone will come to me. A few moments later a guy, my age, walked up to me and touch my shoulder and smile. We went to a quiet corner outside and I told him my story, laying my heart bare, told him of my pain and the way the Holy Spirit is working with me now. We bend down and started praying, he laid me before God…during this moment the Holy Spirit told me that because of my obedience, He will now plea my case before God and lay my pain of the darkest corners of my heart before God. I could hear it, I could literally hear the murmurings, not words, but I could hear everything. I felt the touch of God as I did in my hospital bed and broke down in tears by grace I do not deserve. God once again began the 2nd miracle in my life, healing my pain in my heart.

The following week was extremely emotional for me as the Holy Spirit carried me through this process of cutting the pain in my heart out, piece by piece.

I thought my walk was close with God previously, but had no idea how intense it was about to become.

This God I bow down too, has become more real than anything else in this world. I am totally unprepared for how amazing and incredible His love, His holiness, His power and His kindness is.

 

So many people I talk to over the internet ask me “Why do God, if He is a good God, allow this pain and suffering in this world to continue?”

The world is a broken place. We have made our choices to abandon God and with it comes pain and suffering. God is the ultimate gentleman…He NEVER force His will on anyone. Bad things happen to even good people everyday…and you know what, it strengthens you to become a stronger person reaching greater heights. Look what happened to me…through it God strengthened me to reach heights I thought never possible in my life and I am touching many lives out there and helping people. I am a hard nut to crack and God knows it. He had plans for me…but left to my own devices that plan would never come into play. He allowed things to happened to me and come over my path. Bad things…like Job, but like God is, He turned everything around into blessings beyond believe. I still had to make the choices myself…but God gentlemanly lead me in the direction…

God wants so much the best for us, but when we abandon Him we are left alone in this broken world. The heart of God is such that He allowed that, which was most precious to Him, to be put through pain and mutilation and to die on a cross for us, just so that me and you would have direct access to God and the Holy Spirit.

My sins in this broken world prevents me from having a direct link with God, because before God nothing that has any sin or darkness can stand and live, nothing. God is pure and holy. Only through the sacrifice of Jesus, who was blameless, could He die in my place and through that allow me to talk to God and be saved. It had to be someone blameless, he had to had no sin because that is the only way He could die for ours.

God could have sent armies of angels to rescue Jesus, but this shows God’s heart…unmeasurable kindness and compassion. He did not have to do this for us…He is the Almighty God, rescuing us just by grace…which we do not deserve.

 

Now, many devoted believers don’t like it when they hear of someone like me who had such incredible experiences with God, the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ (I had Christ holding His hand on my shoulder at one of my toughest moments in prayer and more…)

Why me, what makes me special?

Remember Maria?…remember that between all the disciples of Jesus, SHE was the one that quietly bent down with her tears falling on Jesus feet and rubbed very expensive oil/perfume over His feet, no words, just an act of utter compassion. His disciples were not impressed about the logic that such expensive perfume was wasted. But she had a relationship with God on another level, why?…because of the AMOUNT of grace she required to be saved. Be happy and joyful if you required little grace to follow God, then you are blessed indeed. People like me (and Maria) carried so much pain and darkness in our hearts that the grace we require, is massive. This amount of grace changes you on every level and your relationship with God, is extremely intense.

 

Last week on one of the biggest radio stations in Cape Town, they aired this young woman who had a vision where Jesus Christ appeared to her and told her: “Go and tell the world, I have finished preparing all your places in heaven. I am coming to fetch you. The time is up.”

The Holy Spirit confirmed this in my heart…

Now, I know God said, no one knows the date and time, but I am making sure me and my family is ready…I cannot wait to join my Lord and Saviour!

 

I pray this article means something to you…it comes from deep within my soul.

Be blessed.

Gert Louw

Gert Louw staring

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