Tag Archive: fitness


Trump, corruption, Nazi’s and integrity – Dude Talk

Filed under: DUDE Talk — 6 Comments
February 13, 2019

Think it’s time for me to do another DUDE TALK article/video where I just talk about the guy stuff that’s on my mind.

Gert Louw SEA50

I am supposed to be busy with my Cutting Phase. But I must admit I am not very fond of the cutting phase. I love the failure hardcore training of the building phase and well, I like the more calories and relaxed attitude towards eating. And especially because I do not take part in competitions it allows me more freedom. But alas I need some new photos for my site and YouTube channel which forces me to cut down the body fat. So, balls to the wall it is. Luckily it is summer over here and very warm, so it makes cutting slightly easier. I reckon being in the Northern Hemisphere (especially northern US or Canada) in winter time trying to cut will be a very, very difficult undertaking! Snow is rather foreign to us here in Africa.

On to a more controversial subject. South Africa might be as far removed from the USA as one can get, but even here President Trump is covered extensively in all his brightly colored politics. Now, I for one hate politics and certainly have not been following the Trump saga in detail but what I absolutely love about Trump is the fact that he does what he believe is right, whether it is politically correct or not, basically he got the balls to act on what he believe is true and correct. Whether what he believes is true and correct might be another story, I do not know. I am not in your situation, neither educated about American politics to be able to voice an opinion of merit. Although I must admit I LOVE some of his conservative remarks/actions. Let me take one of the current hot topics here, the WALL! Now remember I am a complete outsider and know very little about all the pro’s and cons and fighting going on. I just know it is a big issue. But as an outsider and pretty much objective party (I have nothing to win or lose by either supporting or not supporting it), it is a very simplistic matter (except maybe for the costs involved!). If the WALL is there, the immigrants that have all the legal papers would still be able to come into the USA as always. The only thing the WALL wants to do is to keep the wrong people out, those that illegally want to enter the USA. Now guys and girls we are in a situation in South Africa were our borders are pretty much open and any “goody” or “baddy” can just come and go…and you know what…it is chaos. Crime is out of control and way too many people for the few jobs we have (South Africa is to Africa what the USA is to the world). It is a mess! Learn from us and protect your country with everything you have, before it is too late! You got an amazing country but it can very easily turn into something like South Africa! Anyway, Americans, we have waaaaaay to many political problems here in South Africa to even think about the USA!

Our country is busy with a very high profile governmental investigation into corruption. Now, every educated western person knew this was going to happen when the ANC took over and start appointing all their “freedom fighters” with zero education and skills into key positions all around government (President Zuma for example had but the school educational level of a 9 y/o child and he had to lead the strongest economy in Africa!). No criteria were necessary, only the fact that you were part of the struggle fight. So 20+ years down the line and thousands of billions upon billions of dollars have been stolen through corruption in every single governmental institution and department. It is not like the ANC actually wanted to take action right now. They simply did not have a choice, because South Africa is on a tipping point. There simply is not enough money anymore to cover or pay back all that was, and is being stolen. Thus why the ANC started with these corruption commissions (and yes, here we have to thank Trump for starting applying pressure on the South African government). But right now, all these commissions are all just words and big show without ANY action being taken. Plus, the NAZI’s have resurfaced here in South Africa in the form of Julius Malema and the EFF (and BLF), preaching hate and even genocide towards white people and they have a lot of followers.  All very scary indeed. Now you understand why we do not have time to even think about Trump!

Enough about politics!

As all my friends and followers know I am on a quest to be the best version of myself, inside and outside. Part of this “change” is how I communicate with people in real life, face to face vs how I communicate over internet in the “faceless-no-responsibility” environment. My STRONG believe is that the character and integrity of a man is revealed by how close his way of communication is between these two environments. A man of high character will communicate in exactly the same way, whether it is face to face with someone or over internet in a nameless, faceless forum. He will use the same level of respect for his fellow human being and his language use, will be controlled. His actions will be the same no matter the environment. Now this is particularly important to me and also one of the things that saddens me most. The language currently used and the level of respect shown to people over internet communication is a sign of how far we have lost our way. Even worse, this is spilling over to the real world. Youngsters do not even stand up anymore on a metro for a 90 y/o lady who have to stand and can barely hold on.

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We have lost our way…

We don’t care, and we simply have zero respect for each other.  Can’t we see how we are slipping? How is it that our eyes can be so closed to how we are regressing? I want to be a better person, why not other people? Sadly, I honestly do not understand this. It is like a darkness is preventing us from seeing what is happening. But, I for one, will keep on treating my fellow human being, whether face to face or over the internet, with respect. The same respect that I want him or her to show me. Even if no one else is doing it. I will be considerate and respectful to everyone and especially to my elderly.

Thus, why I also have a very strict policy of respect on my channel. You don’t show it, I block you.

I have the urge to be kind, considerate, love my fellow human being, to be respectful of others, to have tolerance and to be a man of integrity and character to everyone who crosses my path. The world might be dark and ugly but that little patch where I am will be different. However small, I want to make the world a better place. We don’t HAVE TO BE so ugly and nasty and disrespectful. We have full control. The world is what it is because of us and our actions.


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Call me naïve. I do not care. Maybe I am…but I WILL continue to shine a little light of hope and respect everywhere I go.

I stumbled across this post on social media the other day and it sums up very good as to how far we have regressed:

Welcome to the world today…..
Where sex is free and love is expensive. Where losing a phone is more painful than losing your virginity. Where modernization means nudity, profanity, and if you don’t drink/smoke dope you’re out of fashion/style. Where boys stay boys and never want to become men, and girls become men to rule over them. Where if you don’t fool your partner it’s because you’re not clever enough. Where the bathrooms have become photography studios. Where pizza delivery is faster than the emergency response. Where people fear the thieves and the terrorists more than God. Where Worshipping God is difficult. Where temples turn into dating pools. Where lies become realities. Where the ladies fear pregnancy more than h.i.v., and babies are murdered so the ladies can escape. Where people become toxic when they speak the truth or you’re resisting to turn from what is actually toxic. Where perspectives and clothes decide the value of a person. Where money is more important than family and God. Where children are ready to leave their families for their love of the moment, rebellion and spite. Where the marriage covenant is no longer sacred or taken seriously. Where it’s easier to play house than to build a home. Where jumping from partner to partner for sex or attention is easier than waiting for the right partner for life.
Where love is a game.
Where evil no longer exists.
Whoever plays with the mind always gets happiness and who plays with the heart always hurts.
Modernity, love and liquid education…

The new generation of humanity.

II Timothy 3: 1-4
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

Now, some of you wondering why I get so deep often while the core of what I am doing is fitness. Well it is, but what I am all about is transformation. Being the best version of you on all levels. And fitness is but just one of them. The BIG Battle is internally, changing yourself to be a man of integrity. To like the person looking back at you in that mirror…the inside and the outside.

But now I get too deep again!

Gert Louw TRANSFORMATION COACHING

If you want to sign-up for my comprehensive transformation system for the older guy (customised for your body and goals) – have a look here: 

https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/

Anyway guys and girls, shine that light of yours and make this world a better place even if it is just that little patch on earth where you are.

Happy training

Gert Louw

Gert Louw BLACK SHIRT
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Leg training for guys with really bad knees

Filed under: BB Training & Exercises, DUDE Talk — 4 Comments
January 16, 2019

Simply one of the most challenging problems for the over 40 and especially over 50 guy is, how to train legs effectively when knee problems/pain is derailing leg training constantly.

Click here to watch video “LEG TRAINING SECRETS FOR PAINFULL KNEES”

Off course you must work with your doctor and specialist and if surgery is the only way out then, well that must be done. But unfortunately, there are always risks and chances are that even after surgery the knee would still be far from perfect. This is what is happening to nearly all the guys who has gone this route. The surgery might have helped but it did not provide a solution to the problem.

Same here, I had my knee surgery a while back and ever since then I still struggle, sometimes badly, with my one knee.

But how is it that I got such decent leg development then? Ok I am not massive and NEVER will be, but my legs got good size and great shape and are actually increasing in size, albeit slowly. Actually, I am very proud of my wheels!

In this document/video I am going to let you in on my secret approach on how to grow and shape the legs while struggling with weak or painful knees.

My approach is unconventional for the most part but it makes sense from a science point of view and I am proof that it makes a positive difference.

 

My leg training approach.

First you need to take the necessary precautions to ensure the knee joint is stabilized enough. There are various ways to do it. I’ve tried them all and they are definitely NOT all equal.

The options are:

  1. STRAPS wrapped around the knee to support the joint. These are long straps that one can actually wrap very tightly to keep everything in place, but it is quite a bit of effort since you must wrap them before each set and unwrap them after each set because they easily cut off the blood-flow due to the tight wrapping. Try and keeping it on will result in a lot of leg pain because of problematic blood-flow.
  2. Flexible KNEE GUARD. This I have tried and can honestly say that if you got any significant knee issues…this is far from sufficient. It simply does not provide the correct support to stabilize the knee.
  3. KNEE SUPPORT BRACE with metal hinges on both sides. This might not look sexy and it might even be a bit uncomfortable, but this is the only knee support that keep the knee stabilized and aligned while training legs. The metal hinges on both sides is the key.

I still got a new one in original packaging so here is a photo: brace

However, it is something that don’t last long. I find every 2 months I have to buy a new one. There are definitely superior products out there but off course also at “superior” prices. I spoke to a girl the other day that had a great (sexy) looking and strong brace on. She orders it from the USA and every part can be replaced. Unfortunately, I forgot the name of the brand…sorry! She mentioned it is about $500 US. But I reckon it should last you for a looong time plus the fact that it looks sexy, well that counts a lot!

Either way the one I got currently is cheap, $30 US and does the job well.

When the knee is fully stabilized then you will find that you will be able to do significantly better leg training than without the stabilization. The knee joint of older people has too much “looseness” and thus applying any significant pressure on it can very easily harm it or result in serious pain.

So, the first step is to, every-time you train, to put on a KNEE SUPPORT BRACE WITH DUAL HINGES, even though you do not train legs that day. This keeps the knee stabilized and aligned and prevents damage. Remember when you do standing bicep curls, for example, you plant yourself with your feet and lift fairly heavy weights and without realising it, the slightest wrong move with the legs can be disasterous for a problem knee.

Forget about looking sexy. Leave that to the youngsters. Just keep the brace on while training, after that take it off. Although I must admit, I found that when we recently visited Thailand I had to do so much walking (!) that I had to wear the brace otherwise I would have had severe knee issues.

But this brace is just part of the solution. The problem is that because of your problem knees and pain you have unknowingly weakened the tendons and muscles supporting the knee because you could not train legs effectively. So even with the brace on, there is NO WAY that you can now all of a sudden do heavy squats, etc…!

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Here is my rehab training I followed (with the knee brace with hinges) to allow the supporting knee muscles and tendons to strengthen. It is a slow process because one must follow the golden path of doing enough to strengthen the muscles and tendons but not too much to place undue strain on the knee. Off course it might not be exactly the same for everyone. Rather steer clear from moving at faster pace (with increasing weights), but rather be wiser to move even slower if you experience any kind of knee discomfort or pain. You are not allowed to do a dedicated upper leg training day until such time that this program has reached week 21. Calve training can resume as normal. But be aware even calve training when done too heavy and without a hinged knee brace can place undue strain on the knees. So even here you need to take care and always train with a hinged knee brace and slowly work up the weights. Every rep must be slow and controlled.

This program is just about squats which builds up the supporting knee muscles and tendons effectively. Feet shoulder width apart and knees pushed outward. Never move lower than a 90-degree angle between the upper and lower leg (this prevent strain on lower back). Squats have the ability to strengthening the supporting knee muscles and tendons but also have the ability to destroy a knee when done too heavy or wrong!

Having problem knees mean you will never again be able to do serious heavy squats. This routine is as far as you can go. The key of this routine lies in the frequent squat training. It only works because legs muscles are of a different muscle fibre type than upper body muscles which mean they actually do respond good to frequent training.

 

The upper legs training regime for problem knees:

  • Week 1-4: Before training, 5 days a week 2 sets of squats (20 reps each set) without any weights – just bodyweight.
  • Week 5-8: 5 days a week 2 sets of squats (20 reps each set) with a 5kg training bag on your shoulders.
  • Week 9-12: 5 days a week 2 sets of squats (20 reps each set) with a 10kg training bag on your shoulders.
  • Week 13-14: 5 days a week 2 sets of squats (20 reps each set) with a 15kg training bag on your shoulders.
  • Week 15-16: 5 days a week 2 sets of squats (20 reps each set) with a 20kg training bag on your shoulders.
  • Week 16-18: 5 days a week 2 sets of squats (20 reps each set) with a 30kg training bag on your shoulders.
  • Week 19-20: 5 days a week 2 sets of squats (20 reps each set) with a 40kg training bag on your shoulders.
  • From week 21 onwards: 5 days a week 3 sets of squats (20 reps each set) with a 40kg training bag on your shoulders. Do always before training as part of warmup routine.

You will be surprised how this regular warm up squats can add to upper leg growth. A case in point is the track cyclists. They have massive upper legs and they train for hours every day 7 days of the week!

If squats, even in the above fashion, is completely out due to knee pain, then a very good alternative is cycling. If you have a good knee doctor then cycling is usually the first post op knee training he will suggest. Use a stationary gym bike and then according to above program gradually (!) increase training intensity over a 21 week period to strengthen the knee supporting muscles with cycling. Don’t forget to wear the knee brace.

 

Here is a sample clip of such squat training with weight bag and hinged knee brace:

DON’T do any other squats even on leg training days. You will never be able to do serious squats if you have problem knees. But believe me these 5 day a week moderate squats with a 40kg bag on your shoulders is going to result in good growth of the upper leg muscle, over time (!) – don’t be over eager.

But from week 21 you now have clearance to start with other non-squat leg training so now you can actually have a dedicated leg day: Legs press, machine leg curls, hack squats-be careful, preferably not lunges. Take it slow when you start from week 21 with a dedicated leg training day, very slow and build up the weights. Initially increase weights only every 4 weeks. Later-on one you can add small changes every 2 weeks. DO NOT PUSH LIMITS! Accept that you will never have massive legs but this way you can have decent well shaped legs.

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The above will help greatly to strengthen all supporting muscles required by the knee. You will find that you will start to have significantly less knee pain as you progress with above training. But do not for one moment be fooled. You got problem knees and you need to take very good care of them if you want to grow your legs. ONE wrong move and you are back to square one! Although I must admit my knee is significantly better because of this training process.

 

So, there you have it. This is what I do. My legs has responded well and my knees are drastically better. I’ve been to knee surgeons, sports doctors, physio therapists and biokineticists trying to find solutions, and this one has by far produced the best results.

 

And off course if you are interested in my training system for the older guy – you can signup here: https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/

 

Happy training everyone!

Gert Louw

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Over 40 vs over 50 ease of transformation

Filed under: Be MOTIVATED!, DUDE Talk, SURVIVAL TIPS for Cancer/Fibromyalgia/HIV+ — 4 Comments
November 28, 2018

Many of you know about my transformation between ages 40 to 52.

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It was Initially a slow process because I had serious health issues after an attack at 40 after which it look like I might be facing serious liver and kidney issues for the rest of my life. But as I preach in all my videos, I truly believe that starting such a journey have the ability to completely reverse or change around many serious health problems or at the very least help you coping better with it. Every year my health was better and every year the body looked better. Transformation is never an overnight process even if you are perfectly healthy and especially the first time around one need to give it some time. But after many years of crazy hard work and determination at age 50-52 I truly reach a level I was quite proud off, especially shape wise. I had great aesthetic form and few over 50 guys could match my shape and aesthetics.

Click here to watch video “OVER 40 vs OVER 50 body transformation”

But alas this was not to hold…as if it was not bad enough that I had a ongoing fight for liver health since age 40, as it turned out, I drank dirty water somewhere during Jan2017 while on holiday and contracted a very serious infection which particularly attack the liver. One that brought me very, very close to the brink of death. For the whole 2017, apart from being hospitalized for a lengthy period, my doctor had me on zero physical activity for a 12-month period. Now if I say zero, I mean I was not even allowed to walk more than a few steps, but I was so weak I could hardly walk anyways. I ended up in hospital more than once during 2017 because my body could just not handle any strain and any kind of exertion resulted in my liver crashing. So yes, I saw all my hard work melted away before my eyes. I tried to eat clean for a while but alas, seeing all your hard gains disappearing was taking its toll on my frame of mind. So, with no training (like in NO training) and eating wrong, things quickly went south in a bad way!

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Note on above pic: was meant as a funny pic where I pushed out my tummy – however, it still gives you a good idea of just how bad things really got.

I ended up in a worse body shape condition than when I started at age 40. I truly wondered by myself if I will ever be able to regain my fit body. I got all the knowledge in the world…but is it actually possible for me? I was now nearly 54 and the starting point was BAD plus the setbacks in my health did NOT help.

So, at the start of 2018, the doctor at long last cleared me for training. This after a total of 12 months of zero activity. Obviously I had to start slow and right at the bottom, basically following my STARTING FROM SCRATH SYSTEM. For the whole year I had fairly major tendon issues simply because of the complete inactivity of 2017. But month after month I’ve been tightening the grip on my training, strengthening my tendons, joints and muscles and well surprisingly the body responded much better than I feared. After 3 months on my STARTING FROM SCRATCH SYSTEM I was ready to get serious and change over to the ADVANCED SYSTEM II. (This is the life transformation system I designed for the older guy over the past 14 years through all my trials and tribulations.) The ADVANCED SYSTEM II helped me a lot because it gives me a step by step attack on every level to help the body respond optimally for muscle growth and fat loss, especially important now being 54.

Right now just past 54 and a total of 10 months busy with my new journey (once again), I can positively say that even past 50 it is much easier than you think to recover your bodyshape and muscles. Obviously the fact that I’ve been there before makes it much easier for me on various levels but the bottom line is this prove it IS possible. And NO anabolic steroids for me…I cannot use the stuff with my problematic liver since age 40 and now even more so! So this is done with God’s grace, hard work, following the right approach and system and determination but I must admit my peptide and supplement stack is sharp!

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I had my latest liver tests 1 week ago and it looked very, very good! So, now I am moving to the next level. I’ve recovered nearly all lost size and I am happy with my shape. For next 3-4 months the focus will be on bringing down the body fat levels to bring out more shape and detail. I can see my 6-pack but I want to grate cheese on it!46817728_2130717693634431_7470715502491336704_o

Now the important question: “Was it as easy as my previous after-40 transformation?” Lol…nope…sadly, not close. The big upside is it actually took much less time which is crazy considering that I am much older now (I attribute that to the fact that I got my act fully together this time around with the ADVANCED SYSTEM II which does make a big difference in the shorter timespan), but the BIG (!) downside is that there is much more pains and aches and I believe this will just get worse as I age…but life is pain and we can NEVER escape that. So, accepting the pain, living with it and training wisely I believe an effective training regime is still possible even past 80! So, keep following this channel/site for the next 40 years and let’s see if my prediction comes to life! Hopefully I will be a famous 80 y/o aesthetic bodybuilder! That is now to say if the old liver allows me…lol. But I am steaming ahead with my focus and trust in my rock, Jesus Christ!

 

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Well guys, so whatever your excuse, it is not valid.

Just MAKE IT HAPPEN.

Twice of you have too and over 50 if you have too!

Wish you all happy training

Gert Louw

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My 7-point system on how to get out of the rabbit hole

Filed under: Be MOTIVATED!, DUDE Talk, SURVIVAL TIPS for Cancer/Fibromyalgia/HIV+ — 8 Comments
November 9, 2018

My previous article/video was about how to deal with depression when over 40. With this article/video, the angle changes. Here I provide a “escape roadmap” for those guys that hit rock bottom in their life, whatever the reason might be, on how to get to the point where life taste sweet in your mouth again.

Click here to watch video “GETTING UP AFTER LIFE HAS BLOW YOU OVER”

 

So let’s start…

When you are over 40 chances are you have tasted enough of life to know that all is not sweet. But for some of us the taste can be very, very bitter indeed. Some of us are picking up the pieces after a long battle with cancer, or finding out we are hiv+, a severe heart attack, some other serious health problem, death of our life partner or child, financial ruin and more, the list is endless…

There is no other way sometimes to say it…LIFE SUCK!

Ask me I’ve been there, twice fighting for my life and had to pick up the pieces and start running again. That bitter, bitter taste that life can leave in your mouth can also be as sweet as honey, but it is going to require a deep look into yourself and reaching into places you have never touched. It is going to take every single ounce of your being to make this happen. But there is no alternative. This is the t-junction in your life where you have to choose the left or the right road. The left road is going to be easy…staying in your dark place feeling sorry for yourself and hating life becoming everything you don’t want. The right road is leading to a grand fight with the prize of reaching levels of character and body development, you have never thought possible and once again see life for the amazing gift it is in all its beauty and splendor, with a new lust for life like when you were young. And yes, I mentioned “body development”, because I do not believe in taking on this grand fight journey without including transforming your body as well…but more on that later on.

So, here I am going to provide you my rules on how to fight that grand fight to get you to this level where you have an unquenchable lust for life again and you have reached levels of character and body transformation you have only dreamed off.

Off course these rules will mean altering many aspects of your current life and habits. Some of these rules are plain common-sense rules and others will be a surprise. It will mean you will have to move out of your comfort zone with many things. But seriously, you are currently rock bottom and you are at a crossroad in your life where the decisions you make over the next few weeks and months is going to determine whether you will rise or whether you will fall, permanently. I have seen this happen so many times, so this is my hand I reach out to you. I have done this, more than once. It works, and it CAN be done…this is my recipe.

 

The rules for the GRAND FIGHT:

  1. No drugs! Here I am talking about anything you might use to escape or alleviate the emotional pain. As long as you use these escape routes, healing cannot begin. This is your first serious choice you have to make. Any form of recreational drugs is a no-no and MUST stop. There is just no way you will rise up from rock bottom and continue using recreational drugs. Alcohol must be limited to once a week and not more than 500ml wine. Smoking must stop. The negative impact of smoking is way too long to even discuss in this document. But simply put, there is no place for smoking when you fight the GRAND FIGHT! Even the overuse of caffeine must stop. More than 4 strong cups a day and the resultant valleys and peaks will be too great for a balanced new beginning and the valleys will drag you down time and time again.
  2. Restore your integrity. (No affairs! No sex or sleeping around outside a committed loving relationship) You need to love yourself and you cannot do that if you do not have self-respect. Some of you guys are going to laugh when first read this point. NO SLEEPING AROUND / NO CASUAL SEX! You need to start respecting your own body and that of others. The only place for sex is in a long term loving and supporting relationship. You can only restore your integrity when you respect yourself and others and you CANNOT do that if you engage in sexual acts outside of a long-term loving relationship. Believe me if you do not change your casual sexual habits you will struggle severely to rise up from rock bottom. To rise up you must have a strong center, know your roots and respect yourself for being a man of integrity.
  3. Make sure your hormonal levels are healthy. When over 40, be sure to get your blood testosterone levels checked. Severe depressive states and lack of energy are common symptoms for guys with low testosterone levels. To restore yourself and rise up is going to be very difficult and close to impossible if you have low testosterone levels. If TRT treatment is your future so be it! 

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  4. You cannot expect to rise up if your diet is poor and you feeding your body wrong. Some very basic healthy eating rules:
    1. ALWAYS eat a healthy breakfast – something like oats & berries or Fruit salad with yoghurt but it needs to be healthy and not small.
    2. Split your meals into 4 smaller meals per day.
    3. 3L filtered water per day. Glass water every hour.
    4. Two fruits per day and good portion veggies every day, preferably uncooked,
    5. Small portions of rice/pasta/bread/carbs per meal (try to stick to low-GI carbs)
    6. Fat-free or very low-fat protein sources like fillet, fish or chicken breast.
    7. Each meal must be moderate size, no large excessive meals and never 2nd helpings.
    8. Once a week desert…only ONCE!
    9. Strong multi vitamin after morning meal – something like ANIMAL PAK or OPTIMEN.
  5. Part of transforming your life is to transform your body. For a free basic body transformation system, check here: https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-program/You need to train intensively 4-5 times a week for at least 40 minutes at a time. You need to SWEAT – that will release all the feel-good chemicals in your brain that will make you feel uplifted and on top of the world. This is a critical aspect to rise up again. The exercise does not matter so much. Do what you like. But remember if you start lifting weights it will add immensely to your self-image as you start looking better and more muscled. This is something I can personally testify too. As you see your body change and grow it gives you renewed focus and dedication which can make all the difference.
  6. Critical part of the whole process is to ensure your mind is healthy and positive. With your healthy diet, less drinking and no substance abuse your mind will already have a better chemical balance. But if you want to help the mind to be a bit more healthy and positive consider specific natural supplements to help with a positive mindset. The most potent is: St John’s Wort. However, it can interfere with some prescription medication so be careful just double check with your doctor please. Another consideration with less interactions, but not as potent, is 5-HTP.
  7. Now probably the most important of them all. I cannot conclude the 7 points without a reference to the importance of you needing to make right with God. It was and is a critical ingredient for me that helped me to rise from the ashes and become what I am today. You will never be whole if you never make right with God. My mentor is Jesus Christ in my life. There has never been a better or more positive mentor that has walked this earth. Through my faith and my relationship with Christ I get my center and direction in life. I know many will laugh at this point but if you want to listen to how I managed to be who I am today and why, then this is a key reason and cannot be excluded.

You may ask now, “but how do I get the will to put these rules into place?”. Let me put it to you like this. You are rock-bottom right now. From here onward if you do nothing and just continue feeling sorry for yourself, your life is pretty much over and all your dreams crushed. THESE 7 rules are the alternative. This will and can elevate you beyond your wildest dreams. So, there is NO choice. If the reality of where you are right now and what future awaits you while staying where you are right now, if that does not fire you up to MAKE THIS HAPPEN and to WIN this fight, then sadly my friend you might have already lost.

So get up, look life squarely in the eyes and say:
“I WILL CHANGE
I WILL BE THE BEST FATHER
I WILL BE THE BEST HUSBAND
I WILL BE A MAN OF INTEGRITY
I WILL GET THE BODY I WANT
I WILL MAKE IT HAPPEN!”

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So guys, with these 7 rules you can fight the grand fight and you can win. I have proven that twice already in my life. I pray this helps some of you out there. If any of you want to contact me directly: gertlouwljc@hotmail.com

And off course if you want to signup to my life coaching body transformation system customized just for you, then just click this link to signup: https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/

May you rise up and surpass your wildest dreams!

Gert Louw

 

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Over 40 and no joint & tendons pain? YES it is possible!

Filed under: BB Supplements & Diet, Be MOTIVATED!, DUDE Talk, SURVIVAL TIPS for Cancer/Fibromyalgia/HIV+ — 2 Comments
September 6, 2018

The last word for the over 40 on joint and tendon problems.com/watch?


Click here to watch video “DEATH BLOW to joint and tendon problems”

The number one reason why guys over 40 fail in their goals for shaping the body is simply because of excessive joint and tendons problems or pain. It becomes so bad that well, we either severely tone down our training or we stop all together. And there goes our dreams…

So, I’ve been faced with this dilemma as well…but man, I am NOT taking this lying down. I am a fighter that had to face death square in the eyes twice already. But I refuse to give up or go lie down and feel sorry for myself. I got up, faced life squarely in the eyes and then use my brain and wisdom to do research till my fingers were numb from typing. Through the wonder of internet I can trace the latest results-producing scientific research. Many of which is still in the final stages of approval with the FDA, which means it cannot yet be prescribed to you by your doctor. But the wonder is that most of these “grey” cutting edge products are easily available out there and not classified in the category of steroids which means it is fully legal at this stage.

But why would anyone want to put something into their body that is not yet FDA approved? Let me put it to you like this. Taking risks brings rewards. When no risks are taken then no rewards are to be had. You have to decide on the data at your disposal…are you prepared to take the risk to reach your goal or not and is it an acceptable risk? For me it is an easy answer with acceptable risks because I am NOT stopping my training. Although there are many products I believe ARE too dangerous, the one’s in this discussion are life changing for the over 40 guy and will allow him to reach his training goals and keeping his body, joints and tendons in optimal health. So for me…it is a go! If you have any concerns…best to always talk to your doctor.

Gert Loue HEROES

Ok, now that that is behind us let’s move on to the wonder approach.

Attack Tier ONE

Ever heard of dry needling? It is a fairly new development that has only truly gained ground in the last 5 years or so. Sure it can be very painful, but it produce incredible fast results that can transform you tendons, tennis or golfers elbow problems plus allow you to lift drastically heavier due to muscles functioning better.

Let me explain…As we keep training harder and more intense, the muscles naturally start getting spasms and knots. These knots when left untreated over periods can develop in a “stringy” type knot which is so tight, that the fibres literally push out the blood of the muscle. This means you cannot use that part of the muscle for contraction anymore. The more and more you get these type of knots (and believe me we all get it as time progress) the effected muscle become more and more painful and less operational. Because the muscle is not functioning correctly it will now exert too much tension on the tendon or joint and as a result you will start to develop tendonitis or joint problems and tennis/golfers elbow. Left untreated these stringy knots will completely derail your training and eventually render the muscle out of action. Old school solution was applying extreme pressure on such muscles via specific massage methods, but these proved to be rather unsuccessful. Luckily science have evolved and a MUCH more effective solution has surfaced. It is called dry needling. A process of literally sticking in needles of 3-5cm length into the muscle affected multiple times to stimulate bloodflow again by irritating or “damaging” the muscle slightly. It is all about the bloodflow, when that is restored the muscle relax and heal itself naturally and quickly. This means that a partially operational muscle can be restored to full operation rather quickly. And a fully operational muscle means NO PAIN and no pressure on tendons and joints. Magic hey! …and the best is it WORKS. I’ve been for multiple sessions and can personally vouch for this. Dry needling is done by a Physiotherapist, but I recommend get one who works regulary with athletes.

For the active athlete a visit to the Physiotherapist should be minimum every 3 months even if you feel healthy.

However this goes hand in hand with specific stretches which must be performed on problematic target muscles EVERY DAY! Ask your Physio about these stretches.

Attack Tier TWO

Now that we have covered the physical side of things we move on to other magic things we can do to prevent or limit any muscle, tendon or joint problems.

That “magic” pill is a peptide. More precise it is BPC 157 (Pentadecapeptide (PL 14736))

BPC-157 stands for Body Protection Compound, which reflects its healing process benefits that are getting so much attention. The “157” is a nod to the fact that the compound is a peptide chain built of 15 amino acids.

Read this scientific review paper on BPC-157

While amino acids are natural, the particular sequence of BPC 157 is not, which is why you’ll often hear it referred to as a synthetic supplement. Don’t let this scare you off though as the benefits of this compound are potentially incredible. Why “potentially”? Well test results on rats were incredibly impressive to say the least, but to date no human studies have been completed. So we are still waiting for the final verdict. But simply on the basis of the overwhelming positive rats testing results this is a compound worth considering, at least until we are told differently. Feedback from users (me included) is that this compound hold GREAT promise.

Although it is available as an oral it is highly recommended that one go the injection route (similar to insulin type injections) which result in far greater absorption.

Among many other things BPC 157 will repair torn muscle, tendons and joints and also act as anti-inflammatory.

But although BPC 157 is the nuclear bomb, the basis still needs to be covered. This means you must take

  • Omega 3 and 6,
  • Glucosamine Sulphate
  • MSM

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Now obviously you want to know more about this BPC 157, so here goes:

BPC 157 was first discovered in the gastric juices inside the human stomach that promote the breakdown of food, liquids, and supplements. In particular, one protein was isolated from these stomach acids in its unique 15-amino acid chain. Available as both an oral and an injection-based supplement (similar to insulin injections), BPC 157 via injection is far more popular and effective.

No prescription is required and it is completely legal. Not a single side effect was reported in any of the studies. It is easy available online from various suppliers. You will not find it through your doctor or local pharmacy. If you from South Africa just email me and I can give you the local supplier online details (gertlouwljc@hotmail.com)

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Recommended BCP 157 dosages:

  • 100-pound person: 75 micrograms (μg)
  • 150 lb. person: 110 μg
  • 200 lb. person: 145 μg
  • 250 lb. person: 180 μg
  • 300 lb. person: 215 μg

There are reports of users supplementing with up to 700 μg per day, split between two or three doses.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF PBC 157

1. Repairs The Brain 

  • BPC-157 can help induce healing of the brain and nerves after atraumatic brain injury.
  • BPC-157 repairs the brain after a hemorrhagic stroke and can reduce swelling.
  • BPC-157 can protect the brain against hypoglycemic seizures (induced by insulin overdose).

2. Protects Against Drug-Induced Damage

  • BPC-157 can protect the gut, the brain, and liver against damage induced from from NSAIDs.
  • BPC-157 can prevent aspirin-prolonged bleeding and thrombocytopenia as well as may prevent and rescue adjuvant arthritis.
  • It can protect the gut from ulceration from chemotherapy drugs.
  • Cuprizone-induced demyelination is an accepted way to study multiple sclerosis in animal models.
  • BPC-157 can counteract the demylenation of cuprizone.

3. Restores The Serotogenic Transport System

BPC-157 works on the serotogenic system.

BPC-157 significantly reduces the rate of serotonin synthesis in the:

  • Dorsal thalamus
  • Hippocampus
  • Hypothalamus
  • Lateral geniculate body

BPC-157 increases serotonin synthesis in the nigrostriatal regions:

  • Accumbens nucleus
  • Lateral caudate
  • Substantia nigra
  • Superior olive

BPC-157 may improve depression and anxiety by its action on serotonin, similar to that of antidepressant drugs (such as imipramine or nialamide).

For example, in chronically stress rats BPC-157 could improve their mobility.

It can also protect the brain against serotonin toxicity as seen in serotonin syndrome via inhibition of 5-HT2A receptor binding.

4. Protects Dopaminergic System

  • BPC-157 also works on the dopaminergic system (increasing release of dopamine in nigrostriatal regions).
  • It can protect dopamine  neurons from toxin-induced damage in models of Parkinson’s Disease (PD).
  • It may also protect against dopamine depletion (from stimulant use).
  • For example, BPC157 can reduce repetitive OCD symptoms from amphetamine usage.
  • It can also prevent haloperidol-induced supersensitivity from amphetamine usage.

5. Enhances The GABAergic System

  • BPC-157 acts in favor of natural homeostasis of the GABA receptors as well as enhancing the GABAergic transmission.
  • It can help with anxiety by enhancing GABA neurotransmission.
  • It can also help with withdrawals and tolerance from GABA-based drugs, such as diazepam, making them more effective.
  • It also antagonizes alcohols effects, including acute and chronic intoxication.

6. Reverses Opioid Tolerance

  • BPC-157 inhibits action on the opioid system.
  • For example, it can counteract the effects of naloxone and thiopental-induced anaesthesia.
  • BPC 157 may also act as an effective paracetamol antidote even against advanced damaging processes induced by extreme overdoses.

7. Protects The Heart

  • BPC-157 can protect the vascular system.
  • It protects cells against toxin induced damage.
  • It can protect blood vessels from oxidative stress.
  • It normalizes both high and low blood pressure.
  • It also promotes formation of new blood via angiogenesis and vasculogenesis.
  • BPC 157 is can also counteract a prolonged QT interval (time between Q and T) from antipsychotic use.
  • It can prevent death from high potassium levels (hyperkalemia), and magnesium overdose (hypermagnesemia).
  • BPC 157 successfully prevents and counteracts bupivacaine cardiotoxicity.
  • It can also help with arrhythmias from electrolyte imbalances.

8. Accelerates Body Repair

BPC-157 can accelerate healing of wounds.

It improves the rate of healing of:

  • Burns
  • Eye (corneal injuries)
  • Fistulas (colon, vagina)
  • Intestinal anastomosis
  • Ligaments
  • Liver (from chronic alcohol intake or tylenol/acetaminophen)
  • MuscleR
  • Nerve Damage
  • Scar Tissue
  • Spinal Cord Injury
  • Tendons
  • Ulcers (Diabetic Ulcers, esophageal)

One way it does this is by its ability to increase activity of the growth hormone receptor.

It can also increase collagen synthesis.

BPC-157 has also shown to improve walking post-injury.

9. Helps With Allergies And Viruses

BPC-157 may help allergies by preventing anaphylactoid (unrelated to IgE responses) reactions.

BPC-157 has viral activity on:

  • Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
  • Dengue types 1-4
  • Feline leukemia virus
  • Hepatitis A
  • Herpes
  • Influenza A and ARBO
  • LCM virus
  • Tick borne encephalitis
  • West Nile fever

10. May Help Irritable Bowel Disease

  • Similar to cholestryamine, BPC-157 may help with esophageal reflux.
  • One way it does this is by rescuing sphincter dysfunction.
  • In rats, higher doses can help with swelling in the gut.
  • By repairing ulcers, BPC-157 can help with ulcerative colitis.

11. Helps With Ocular Dysfunction

By modulating nitric oxide and cholinergic mechanisms, BPC 157 can counteract atropine-induced mydriasis and L-arginine-induced miosis of the pupil.

12. May Help Oral Cavity

BPC-157’s anti-inflammatory effects may be a useful alternative for periodontitis.

13. May Help With Urinary Incontinence 

BPC-157 may help reduce stress-induced urinary incontinence.

Click here for proof of some of the scientific studies done with BPC 157. 

Darn! Now, is this all possible? It just sounds waaaay to good to be true? Only time will tell, but above is facts that came from rats studies. Pure science. Whether all or just some of above hold true for humans, no one knows at this stage, but I for one, is a believer simply by the results I am already getting after just a short period of using BPC 157.

But as I’ve put it many times…there are NO magic pill out there. Sure this might help greatly and might be close to a magic pill, we as older individuals need to apply wisdom to our training methods to always lesson joint and tendon problems.

With all this info now at your disposal, age becomes just another number. You can feel young, energetic and muscles, joints and tendons are now being able to fullfill their intended function without holding you back with pain and injury. Wow man, what a bonus!

Those that wanna join my coaching system for the over 40 guy – you can signup via this link: www.gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/

So everyone…MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Gert Louw

http://www.gertlouw.com

tendon article gert

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What rules to break for a fit over 40 guy when taking an adventure vacation.

Filed under: BB Supplements & Diet, Be MOTIVATED!, DUDE Talk — 2 Comments
August 11, 2018

Click here to watch the video – MUSCLED GUY’s ADVENTURE IN THAILAND & DUBAI.

So, what do I do to LIMIT the “damage” to the fit looking body during a holiday break for cross-continent adventures?

First, the breaks I preach here should never be done more than twice a year…perfect time would be when you take a break between the phases (building/cutting).

And never longer than 14 days at a time (absolute max, preferably only 7 days if you want to limit “damage”).

This is definitely not applicable to competing athletes. For them such breaks would be way to long and inflicting waaaay to much damage.

So, I am talking here to guys that do a fitness lifestyle simply for the benefit of looking great and being healthy…aka “me”.

So, for guys like us, a break is exactly what it says…a break. This means no weightlifting or intense training. Remember…that body is not young anymore and you have been punishing the tendons and joints during the previous months. For us older folks this is time to recover, strengthen and get a new lust for life.

But this does NOT mean lying with your feet in the water the whole day. This means you must keep up activity – lots of walking, diving, snorkeling, volleyball, tennis, golf and the likes. Keep activity levels high during break periods. This is critical to help keeping tendons supple and help speed up joint repair.

Not what about the eating/drinking habits during such a break?

Well, for that break period I am going to tell you to put the lid on the diet book…but don’t lock it away!

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The few rules you must apply:

  1. No more than 2 glasses wine or two beers per day!
  2. No soft drinks containing sugar.
  3. Try and cut out carbs as best as you can (bread, rice, pasta).
  4. Eating no more than 3 times a day.
  5. NEVER EVER stuff yourself at a meal.
  6. BUT (!) if you want to treat yourself to something (talking here about a dessert or something similar)…do it! Once every day is max!.

This is meant to be a break that helps the body heal and to give you vigor and lust for life again. Thus a few rules must be broken. You don’t have (!) too, but believe me having a balance in the whole fitness/living life approach would bring many dividends and allow you to keep climbing the transformation ladder for life rather than being too focussed and falling down and having te restart from scratch over and over. Doing something balanced means you will stand a much better change of reaching eventual success and beyond. For all your hard work the previous months/years…this is the price. So, you are meant to enjoy it!

Now off course there will be damage to the body. You will NOT come back looking better than when you left…although this might actually happen if you had a very strict cutting phase and this break happened directly after you ended with the cutting and do not go away for more than 7 days…then you might actually look better than before you went! But believe me that does NOT happen often. So, accept that there will be damage. But so, what! You know the recipe to success. You have done it and when back you will pick up rope and start climbing to the next level of success again – this time with more vigor and lust for life than ever. Never work so hard that you forget to LIVE!

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So, this was my break…yip just a tad too long according to the rule but mind you I paid the penalty! But what a break and what new lust for life I have. Every moment worth it and now fully back at gym and training harder than ever!

Here a rundown of my break…Phuket, Phi Phi islands and Dubai.

So, what I was looking forward to the most

  • Thai curries
  • Exotic scenery
  • Dubai architecture
  • Exotic cars abundance Dubai
  • My dream watch

Let’s see if the trip made the grade.

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First you need to realize being from South Africa mean that you will be limited by the weak Rand. Thus, unless you are very, very rich some of the experiences would just not be possible to do. So, I know there might be MUCH more, but this is what we chose.

Of course, I am also limited due to family obligations. Adventurous wife and 12 y/o son.

The flight was good albeit long! We flew Emirates. Love the headrests, entertainment systems and the food were good. Tried to upgrade our tickets to business class just for one flight but the upgrade price was that of a good 2ndhand motor vehicle. Just simply crazy. So, we made due with good old economy class. 15 hours flight total from Cape Town to Thailand with connecting flight at Dubai.

It is winter in Cape Town and we know we going to suffer with the warm weather at our destinations.

Arriving in Phuket…people, people and people. A total culture shock. South Africa is open spaces. In Phuket…crazy! Immediately off to our hotel to get book in. Centara Karon, 4 star hotel. Neat and clean and functional but not impressive. Food and service good though. Just be prepared, few people in Thailand understand English even in the touristy regions…you are going to struggle!

First night we immediately venture into the streets. Directly from the hotel all the small side streets are buzzing with bars, restaurants, massage parlors and clothing and craft type stores. They have secret rooms in some shops where they sell all the biggest brand name clothing illegally (I think, why would they be hidden?) and for very cheap. But even in many of the normal clothing stores you can find great clothing for very cheap. I made use of every opportunity to get as many Thai curries as possible. It really, really is good. Obviously some better than other…I had about 2 that blew me away!

Just don’t think you going to get a glass of wine anywhere…it is only for the very rich. Wine is crazy expensive in Thailand. But their local beer is abound and not to bad either – CHANG. Pity I am not a beer drinker. Had a few though, especially in the middle of the days when it was crazy hot! Just be careful of the scams. We lost a 1000 baht in one scam. Do not use just any money machine to pull cash from your credit card – choose safe ones in up class shops. Some of them has been altered to just deduct the money from your account but not to give out any money. The money lid has actually been welded shut. So, using one of them you will lose all the money you pull. Alas, lesson quickly learned!

Wife and son did the Thai massage…very popular. They like it although wife said they hurt her. I refused to let a Thai girl touch me. I am waaay to private. Me and wife did the fish foot massage where you put your feet into a fish tank and small fish nibble your feet clean. Wonder how many dirty feet was in that tank!

We did 2 excursions in Phuket. One was too FANTASIA and the other John Gray sea adventures.

First Fantasia – hmmm, well-advertised and I believe the local and Eastern people enjoy it. We did not. Too many people and well, not up the standard we are used to with shows. It consists of a fairly large theme park (games, shopping, elephant rides), buffet dinner and huge theater show with seats on top of each other! These people leave no space for nothing! Darn I lost my “Jesus Culture” sweatshirt there! Anyway…it was an experience and that was what we came for…I will just not recommend the show for westerners.

Then the John Gray sea adventures. Now guys and girls this was simply outstanding and REALLY worth the money. You go on a fairly big and stable boat for about a 2-hour ride in the direction of the magnitude of small islands around the south of Phuket. Then you climb into inflatable canoes (max 2 people). But you just relax and take photos, you have a 3rdperson doing the paddling and everything. You enter a few different small islands via the canoe through caves. Some of the caves are so tight that I had to lie down in the boat and even then, my nose still scratches the roof off the cave. They had to deflate my wife’s canoe a little because her boobs were too big to pass into the cave…she made it after they deflated a bit. These caves lead to incredible still water bodies in the middle of the small islands…totally secluded, beautiful and very interesting.

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Some of the caves are filled with bats and some has a specific plankton organism in the dark waters that lights up as the canoe move through them or if you stir the water…yes, it is as incredible as it sounds. You are welcome to swim in the ocean around the boat. A good seafood meal is served on boat…would have loved it if it was served on land at one of the small islands. But this trip, although not cheap, comes highly recommended. This is a must to when in Phuket.

Our last day in Thailand we visited one of the big markets. Wow guys and girls…this another MUST do. Apart from many amazing cheap stuff (especially clothing) that you can buy, the food section of the market is simply crazy! Was a bit too scared to eat just anything there…think we ended up eating just coconut pancakes, which was VERY good. I was very sick in 2017 and nearly died when drinking dirty water…much more careful now.

 

Ok so off to Phi-Phi islands.

Took one of their standard charter tourist boats. While on boat we heard the previous day one of these boats turned over in rough seas and more than 20 tourists died because they could not get out of the boat. Then I realized what they mean…the inside of the boat is a deathtrap…no windows that open just seats upon seats…we immediately upgraded to First Class where there is at least one window that open. I sat next to it – lol! The ride was not pleasant. The sea was rough! But we had some great views along the way with some good photo opportunities.

Off course we were in Thailand in the middle of monsoon season…so we had some bad weather moments and a lot of rain! At Phi-Phi islands we stayed at the ZEVEOLA resort. This time a 5-star resort. Hmmm…the 5-star was evident in all the prices. Anything you want to do or eat or drink, dude that is going to cost you money. The resort was nice though. Old school traditional Thai cottages in between a tropical forest on a beautiful warm water island. Cannot ask for much more. But dude…the mosquitos! They chowed me and son…like crazy. Son had to even get antibiotics. The mosquitoes are foreign to us and each bite resulted in a bad infection. There is one that bites during day and a different one biting during night. Even on the mainland in Phuket this started to be a problem. Any we came prepared…DEET and everything we could use to deter mosquitos. It is just as if nothing worked! The mosquito part of Thailand and Phi-Phi islands I did NOT enjoy. Anyway, at the resort we did some snorkeling…not the best but we saw some nice fish. Little bit of swimming also. The food was good but expensive compared to Phuket. Had some good breakfasts though!

Again, wine is crazy, crazy expensive. One wine they had on their list is about $3 US in South Africa and at Zaevola resort it cost more than $100 US. Just for the rich. Luckily me and wife brought 4 bottles wine in our suitcases, so we saved some money with that. Even the corkage for you own wine was about $20 US. One of the nicest experiences at Zaevela was sitting at the bar drinking a beer with your feet in the sand and the waves next to you.

The off we went to Dubai. The boat ride from Phi-Phi islands was BAD. Rough (!) seas had a few people throwing up! I took a pill to prevent seasick but even with that it was challenging. Again, making sure I was sitting at the First-Class section next to the window. You can upgrade in the boat to first class. It cost and extra 300 Baht per person…acceptable amount for your safety and a bit more luxury.

Again, flying Emirates from Phuket to Dubai.

It was HOT in Thailand but man o man…it was crazy HOT in Dubai!

Nobody there is on the street…. everyone is either in an aircon Toyota or building. Yes Toyota! I was so disappointed. I was expecting Bugatti’s, Ferrari’s, Lambo’s and Bentley’s and brother everywhere and I mean everywhere it was just Toyota, Toyota and more Toyota’s I think I saw one Porsche and that was it. Man, even in Cape Town we have waaaaay more exotic cars. So, this was a BIG downer for me. I spoke to some locals and they said we should have visited a certain street in Dubai where all the vehicles were. But I was in main city center quite a few times and for me that is where you should see them. Anyway, Cape Town with the car scene beats Dubai hands down!

But I must admit, I was in awe of the architecture. Even our 4-star hotel, Grand Excelsior was an impressive building. But driving down main road city center was simply incredible. Hard to believe this is planet earth – lol! We did 3 excursions in Dubai. Visit Dubai Mall, went up the Burj Khalifa and went on the dune bashing experience. All 3 worth it with the dune bashing one the most adventure filled. Dubai Mall will take you 3 days to walk through. Immense place with many awe filled aspects. In the middle a HUGE aquarium with exotic sea creatures. And I am talking huge here. Not a cheap place though. Food is off the scale expensive, well for a South African. About 5 times the prices we pay in South Africa. We had to live on eggs and soup when eating out! We simply did not have that kind of spending money for food. Again, wine is even more expensive in Dubai than in Thailand. I really enjoyed the awe of the Dubai Mall although spending was severely limited. Electronics (and probably jewelry) is slightly cheaper than in South Africa but that’s about it. Admittingly my son got a S9+ cellphone for half the price he would have paid for in South Africa…so not too shabby. I bought myself my dream watch. The Casio MT-G. Just love the look and ruggedness…so me – lol!

The fruit in both Thailand and Dubai was pretty tasteless. We were happy to see South Africa fruit being put on display in both countries because I absolutely agree, our fruit taste amazing in comparison.

Outside the Dubai Mall next to the burj Khalifa is a huge man-made lake which is used for a water show on the half hour to the theme song of the movie Skyfall. Now man-o-man this was the absolute highlight of Dubai…I think this water show was incredible. Done very artistically and the music fits perfectly over massive high-end audio system. The climax is done with water cannons that spouts easily 15 stories’ high into the air. When they activate it slams you in the chest with pure power. This is a must-see.

The Burj Khalifa just another huge building…but really, really tall. Think now the 2ndtallest in the world? Anyway, you pay to go up to the 125thfloor and look through glass windows. Worthwhile.

The dune bashing trip was a bit more adventure.

First you MUST drink seasick pill. Many, many people threw up due to the aggressive dune driving. We got stuck 3 times…our driver was less experienced. And it is not fun when you have to get out of the aircon car into 42 degrees Celsius on desert sand you cannot touch so hot it is!

In the middle of the desert we were given some sandboarding opportunity. Some tried sand surfing, but I was not in the mood to fall face down into 42 degrees Celsius sand! So, I choose the sandboarding option. Fun getting down the dune…not so much fun getting up!

Back into the car and off to a Bedouin camp. Not a real one you can see it is created purely for tourists. But still a nice experience. There we went camel riding (damn miss my Subaru – this thing is uncomfortable!), wife had some Henna done. She asked for a cross on her wrist…they had no idea what she was talking about until one of them snap and said, “O u mean Christian cross?” – lol!

We were dressed up in traditional clothing…think I make a good Sheik! I chose wife to be my first wife in my harem! Darn but these clothing is hot. But then again, I do not think they were a 2ndset of clothing underneath.

We were served some average food at the camp and treated to some belly dancing and strangely enough a guy dancing as well?

When that excursion was over we were relieved…it was the hottest day we experienced in our lives and think we sweat quite a couple of liters of water!

Nice but never again…but was it worth it…yes.

Well then, our trip ended…and back to good old Cape Town. You know after we landed and drove back to Table view and saw the amazing view, sunset and open spaces I realized that we are so blessed. This is one amazing place to live in. Un equaled beauty coupled with the African open spaces and friendly people…living in paradise. Only problem being the violance by the wrong elements in society that is a disturbing trend in South Africa and the reason many have left…

Click here to signup to my ADVANCED SYSTEM II that provides a complete blueprint to get you to a WOW transformation. Adapted and customised for your body and goals https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/

 

So guys and girls, take that break and live life and well, then climb a step higher to the next level of your transformation.

Wish you all happy training!

Gert Louw

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How to increase your testosterone levels

Filed under: BB Supplements & Diet — 8 Comments
July 31, 2018

How to increase testosterone naturally – [science based]

Click here to watch video “HOW TO INCREASE YOUR TESTOSTERONE LEVELS”

The search for optimal blood testosterone levels becomes a major issue for guys over 40 who are on a quest for a WOW physique. Without optimal blood testosterone levels this quest is simply impossible. Low blood testosterone levels will mean fat gain, muscle loss, low libido, impotency, low sperm count, low energy, depressive states (sometimes severe) and potential heart problems just to name a few of the typical symptoms guys with low testosterone levels have to deal with.

Having optimal testosterone levels will simply provide a much better quality life for any over 40 guy. It is a no brainer. And it will put a muscled body in your reach if you are prepared to do the hard work. With optimal testosterone levels the body now has the ability to grow muscle and lose fat. Still not like when you were 20, but it will at the very least make it possible with hard work, well, sometimes very hard work.

The internet has a magnitude of products claiming to increase male testosterone levels.

But in then end only a small group makes the grade. ONLY the supplements that followed the rules of independent science studies that have proved the product to work against controlled groups form part of this group. All the other product claims are hogwash with empty marketing claims that is NOT supported by science.

So first, let’s look at the one’s that completely failed the science test:

  1. Tribulus Terrestris (science studies show it has zero effect on raising blood testosterone levels but it does have an effect in increasing libido).
  2. Fenugreek extract (science studies shown it resulted in zero increase in blood testosterone or other hormone levels. However as with Tribulus it has shown to increase libido rather effectively).
  3. Aspartic Acid (or aspartate – Although DAA supplementation has been found to sometimesresult in a small increase in testosterone levels in healthy males, this increase seems to only last for about one week before it drops back down to baseline levels. Moreover, research published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that a dose of 6 grams of DAA per day resulted in a decrease in the levels of free and total testosterone in healthy resistance-trained males.)

 

My ADVANCED SYSTEM II body transformation system is available customised for your body and goals. You can signup here: ADVANCED SYSTEM II

 

The ONLY ones making the grade and is proven by science studies to moderately increase blood testosterone levels in males are:

  1. Magnesium and Zinc (also called ZMA which combines Magnesium and Zinc supplementation – a supplement for men which is usually taken before bedtime).The main proof was provided by a study published in the journal of Biological Trace Element Researchwhich found that 4 weeks of supplementation with 10 mg magnesium per kg of body weight increased both free and total testosterone in sedentary subjects as well as in athletes. Zinc deficiencies, which are relatively common in athletes and those who sweat a lot, can result in a decrease in testosterone levels, so supplementation with zinc can raise testosterone to normal levels. Two studies published in the journal of Neuro Endocrinology Letters (one in exercising subjects and one in elite wrestlers) found that zinc supplementation for 4 weeks prevented the decrease in testosterone levels which declined in the placebo group.
  2. Yeah, good old creatine. This is a shock for many. How is it possible? Let me explain: The rise in the body’s creatine stores that happens with creatine supplementation and the subsequent increase in energy for short-term activities are mainly responsible for the significant performance increases that take place. What most people are unaware of is that creatine also seems to result in a small but, relatively, reliable increase in testosterone levels, which may also be partially responsible for the strength and muscle gains experienced with supplementation. For example, in a study published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, resistance trained football players saw a statistically significant increase of 22% in testosterone levels after 10 weeks of supplementation with creatine. The increases in strength and lean body mass were also significantly higher in the creatine vs the placebo group.
  1. Vitamin D. Although here I must note that testosterone was only raised with Vit D supplementation when subjects actually had a vit D deficiancy. That being said, 90% of us have a vit D deficancy in varying degrees. Supplementation with Vitamin D will, consequently, correct a vitamin D deficiency and, possibly, result in an increase in testosterone levels. This was confirmed in a relatively recent study published in the journal of Hormone and Metabolic Research, where it was found that men taking a little over 3000 international units (IU) of vitamin D for one year saw a statistically significant increase in both free and total testosterone.

 

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Now is this all we can do to increase testosterone levels? No, but this is all you can do on the supplement side. Any other supplement claiming to increase testosterone levels and is not on this list…pass! It is hollow claims unless proven by science.

But there are other non-supplement actions that have also been proven by science to have a rather large positive impact on optimal blood testosterone levels in males. They are:

  1. Regular heavy compound training. I am talking here about intense squats and bench pressing (deadlifts also form part of this bunch). These compounds moves have been proven by science studies to elevate blood testosterone and HGH hormone levels.
  2. Healthy eating patterns – have been proven to have a large impact on blood testosterone levels. Good oils/fats in diet critical for healthy hormonal levels.
  3. Little or no alcohol – alcohol consumption has a direct link to low testosterone levels.
  4. Enough sleep – too little sleep will negatively affect blood testosterone levels.
  5. Levels of stress – regular intense stress situations has been proven to lower blood testosterone levels.
  6. Excessive masturbation has been proven by science to lead to low blood testosterone levels.

So there you have all you can do to get a maximum blood testosterone rating!

Off course there are the “not-so-natural” ways as well to increase blood testosterone levels, which range from DHEA to TRT to plain ANABOLIC STEROIDS…but that is a path one must tread lightly or at best avoid completely!

I cannot stress enough the care you must apply reading marketing claims of supplements. If it is not proven by science, no matter how fancy the words and how many (stolen!) photos and lies are provided as “proof”, well, then it is simply hogwash.

Happy training with optimal test levels!
Gert Louw

 

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How often must I train to grow?

Filed under: BB Training & Exercises, Be MOTIVATED! — 2 Comments
June 26, 2018

Optimal training frequency for over 40 guys?

What is the best training frequency for growth? This is a question I get asked a lot. So let’s look at this.

I am in this discussion only going to look at the male 40 and over and what training frequency works best for him.

A further assumption is that we talk here about males, who’s primary goal is about adding shape and muscle to their body. Thus we are NOT talking about the marathon runner doing just cardio! We are talking about a guy over 40 who hits the gym to do resistance training.

Last assumption is that we are not alking about a guy who has never trained in his life. Because for such a guy the first 3 months is a complete different approach to the guy who is already fully into his training regime.

So now that we have defined the target audience let’s move forward.

PROBLEMATIC training frequencies:

Anything less than 3 days a week training will put you into severe risk for injury territory. The amount of days is just too little to adequately keep the muscles, tendons and joints flexible and strong enough for intense training. You chances for hurting yourself badly is very, very high. 1 or 2 days training a week does NOT prepare the body sufficient for intense training full stop. If that is the only amount of days that you can train, well then I say no intense resistance training but only bodyweight exercises…and even that can result in a damaged tendon.

Optimal MAINTENANCE training frequency:

Many guys go through a difficult work related period where time is limited and then they just want to be able to maintain size and definition. That can be done with good success of training 3 days a week but not (!) 3 days in a row and the 4 days off. The 3 days must be spaced with one open day inbetween each training day. The stimulation this apply to the body is good enough for maintaining but not for growth. It is also outside the danger territory as discussed above.

Optimal training frequency for MUSCLE GROWTH:

Now we are talking business. Remember you are over 40, so thinking you can train 6 or 7 times a day as some of these youngsters do (who are most of the time in steroids anyways!) is definitely NOT going to work. Training anything more than 5 days will have dire consequences for your muscle building efforts. It will leave waaay to little time for the older body to recover and built muscle effectively and can litterrally result in smaller muscles. I’ve seen it happen over and over.

An over 40 guy cannot train more than 5 days a week if he is not using steroids – full stop.

So the max amount of training for a 40 to 55 y/o is 5 days a week.

 

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For guys over 55 yrs I suggest not more than 4 days a week, simply because with the amount of testosterone and HGH in the body (which is a step lower than that of a 40-55 y/o) he need more recovery time and more time for the muscles to grow before it is punished again in the gym.

The important part is to remember, muscles do NOT grow in gym. You simply send a signal to them that they must grow because they are not coping with the workload. The growth happen while you rest and sleep and NOT training. But that only happens when the body is fed correctly.

So there you have it…I am 53 right now and for me the optimal training frequency is 5 days a week. My actual routine is mostly just 4 days but now and then I would throw in the 5th day. There is just no way my body will be able to cope with 6 or 7 days!

If you want my customized ADVANCED SYSTEM II that covers this and provide a complete blueprint for your over 40 body transformation, have a look here: https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/

So everyone – happy training

Cheers

Gert Louw

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Finding the TRUTH – 3 criteria to guide you

Filed under: BB Supplements & Diet, BB Training & Exercises, DUDE Talk, EXPOSED supplements! — 8 Comments
June 13, 2018

How do you choose a fitness mentor through all these opposing ideologies you see in the fitness world? There are probably as many unique approaches and recipes as there are transformations! It is actually crazy…that is the only word that fits.

You have decided it is time to make a change, a big change and you want to choose the right system and coach but that proves to be MUCH more difficult than you anticipated. When venturing on internet and searching for the right approach or system, you are faced with many conflicting solutions. Sometimes directly opposing each other. Now, who do you trust and how do you sift through all this info to find the right approach and person to trust to lead you onto your journey?

 

THREE things are major critical to help you making your choice.

 NUMBER ONE – Accept that there is no magic pill!

This is the number one important thing you have to accept. NONE of these advertising claims hold any truth, NONE! This is not an overstatement. ALL of the supplement advertising claims, even from the prominent companies, are filled with lies and half-truths. Most (nearly 90%) are complete and utter lies. I know what I am talking about. My before and after photo has now been abused illegally by more than 150 companies marketing their products and showing me as “proof” that their product works. And this is the going rate…if you see a before and after photo in any advertising add, it is ALWAYS either stolen or the person was paid a nice sum of money to lie and say he/she used their product to achieve the results. There is no truth to any such marketing photos…sadly. The bottom line is supplements makes no more than a few percentage points difference (I say 2.5%) in your effort of changing your body with a transformation. Easily 80% is made up by following a diet focused to produce results and the rest is made up by your exercise efforts in the gym. There is no magic pill…accept that. Sure, steroids and HGH can hasten the process but even then, it will take great effort and focus on both the diet and training front. Nothing comes overnight, and nothing comes easy and anyone claiming such is lying blatantly. A Significant transformation takes time and a LOT of effort…full stop. Steer completely clear from anyone telling your different because there are many that will…they are not after your happiness but only your money in their pocket.

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NUMBER TWO – Accept that many roads lead to Rome.

Many of these approaches are junk and totally misleading. But, there are many that is the truth and works and many of them preach complete opposing systems/approaches. Is this possible?

Let me explain.

The world of fitness is far from being a scientific fact sheet. Each of our bodies are so vastly different. Our genetic traits make us unique and apart. Each of us have unique metabolisms defined by multiple lifestyle aspects. The bottom line is many of these opposing systems and approaches have produced true results. These people are not lying (well some actually is but to try and make my point here I am referring to those that actually have a moral center!). They have reached success by following the path they are preaching. Let me take my wife for example. Right now, she is getting major success (lost 16kg in just over 3 months) with the 28 DAY DIET. A diet I would traditionally oppose vehemently. Simply because it is too little food and thus would lower the metabolic rate to unacceptable levels. But it is working for her and I can see that she can continue on it indefinitely albeit with some changes when she reached her goal weight to make it more lenient. Bottom line is, not everything works for everyone. Our personalities, genetics, lifestyle, habits, working environment, beliefs and many other factors play a more important role than we realize.

So, this is a very important point you need to realize. Many different roads in the body transformation arena can lead to the goalpost. Science is far from proving a singular all true road. We as individuals are far too unique for that.

 

NUMBER THREE – does your mentor have a moral center?

Ok, this might sound a little condescending, but the bottom line is, can you trust your mentor/coach to have your best interest in mind or is he/she just after the quick buck?

This is probably the most important of the 3 points. Because everything falls flat if this person working out your transformation system is a moral-less person caring just about turning around the quick buck. He/she needs to be a person of integrity that invokes trust. This you need to establish, or chances are you going to burn your fingers. You cannot trust in a person to lead you, but in real life you would never even consider this person making the grade for your friend list because of his/her lack of integrity/moral-less behavior.

You seriously need to look up to this person NOT just because of his/her body but especially because of all the other things.

 

So, let these three points guide you to make the right choice when you ready for that transformation journey!

 

Should you believe I am that mentor that can lead you on your transformation journey, you are more than welcome to consider signing up to my ADVANCED SYSTEM II, developed for the older individual and a truly comprehensive system covering all and every aspect. Customized for your goals and body on many levels: https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/

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Motivation to continue on your path.

Filed under: Be MOTIVATED! — 6 Comments
April 19, 2018

Hi guys and girls from a very cold Cape Town. We just missed day zero here in Cape Town and nearly ran out of water so we are so glad the rainy season is upon us. We pray for a good one!

Ok, back to the topic…

Click here to play video “MOTIVATION FOR GYM”

Many times we feel demotivated because our efforts seems like a drop of water in the ocean. We feel we will never get there and the progress we make is so small that it makes no difference. This is when many, many people give up on their hopes and dreams.

Let me put it to you like this. Your efforts may just “feel” like a drop of water in the ocean, but the truth is the ocean are made up of many, many drops. All your hard work, sweat and pushing through with the diet is like many drops together and counting this up over a period of a year, two or three makes for a LOT of drops that start to form an ocean.

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Success is NEVER a short term thing, it is a long-term lifestyle that brings dividends to those pushing through. It is not a mater of feeling like training or dieting, you HAVE to train and diet. It is like working, you HAVE to work you don’t have a choice. The same goes for training and dieting, you HAVE to just do it. You miss work only when you have a sick note, same applies to training and diet.

Off course there will be stumbling blocks, sometimes major one’s. Last year (2017) I could not train for the whole year due to severe health issues. But when that stumbling block is out of the path, then we pick up the pieces and get back to gym and eating correctly. Stumbling blocks are a given and part of life. We cannot truly avoid them and we have to make them part of the game. The key is just to always resume after each severe stumbling block. And few stumbling blocks is bigger than the one I faced in 2017 (banned  by doctor for 12 months from gym due to severe bad health from drinking dirty water – nearly, nearly died!). But we must get up and continue. So I am back at gym and slowly building up the body again with the winning recipe. Off course it will take some time…after 40 any setback takes up to 2-3 times as long to get back to the level one had before the setback. And the older one get, the longer this recovery time takes. BUT, the fact is, we CAN get back to that level and might even surpass it and that is the goalpost and reality for those that keep getting up and push through.

For those of you interested in my ADVANCED COACHING SYSTEM II specifically developed for the over 40 individual, have a look here: https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/

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So to all of you that do not feel like training or sticking to that diet because it looks like your efforts are worthless, let’s pick up the pieces and just MAKE IT HAPPEN because all those efforts together start forming an ocean for those that keeps pushing through! You WILL reach success with this mindset.

Wish you all a blessed week of training.

Gert Louw

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Over 40: Joint-pain solutions

Filed under: BB Supplements & Diet, Be MOTIVATED!, SURVIVAL TIPS for Cancer/Fibromyalgia/HIV+ — 2 Comments
February 27, 2018

Over 40 training and joint pain – what to do?

Click here to watch video “Over 40 Ultimate guide for dealing with join pains”

This is very familiar territory for every over 40 guy. We nearly all struggle with joint and tendon pains.

Some of us accept defeat and enter potbelly territory. Well if are you like me, then we refuse to accept even the word “defeat”. It is not in our vocabulary.

But we cannot ignore the aches and pains. So how do we deal with it?

First, the fact is, it IS good, very good, for the over 40 body to be involved in resistance training. That has been proven beyond any doubt by many science studies.

We must just find a way of dealing with the “problem” and not too simply, give up! Dealing with it involves wisdom and quite a few things that we need to do to effectively relief the pain.

Before we start discussing what must be done, remember – NEVER train through pain. You will make whatever the problem is MUCH worse. As you get older you will have to regularly change your exercises and even your whole workout approach and regimen to periodically side-step pains and aches in tendons, joints and back. This is a given. BUT…never, ever, stop training because of pain…adapt and change. Always keep training with what you can do, even if it means a total different temporary training approach.

Joint pain (and tendon pain) is not just simply a result of training heavy. MANY factors play a role.

Let’s go through the list of the things you need to do to relief/avoid tendon/joint pain:

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TRAINING

  1. You must have a cutting (lighter weights, higher reps per set) and building (lower reps with higher weights) phase in place to allow regular “rest” periods for the tendons/joints. Phase lengths should be roughly 3 months each.
  2. Consider training lighter for a 6-month to a year period if you struggle with a serious tendon/joint issue.
  3. Very important – never bend your hand upward or downward when lifting, but keep it all times in a straight line with the for-arm. Bending the hand during heavy lifting places undue strain on the elbow via strained tendons. Keeping the hand straight keep all tendons at equal strain.
  4. Bench pressing should be performed with the overhand position with bar resting on the thumb area (bottom) of the palm so that there is no pressure on the wrist. (The place where the bar lies on the hand must be in a straight line with the whole arm to ensure that no strain is on wrist.)
  5. Use special straps to relief strain on the wrist. I will show example in the video. A simple strap fastened around the wrist with a rubber palm grip which can be wrapped around heavy weights. This allows for near zero strain on the wrist joint. This is especially helpful with pull ups, shrugs and nearly all back and upper body exercises.

 

LIFESTYLE

  1. Yip you guessed it…NO SMOKING! Smoking makes the whole body functioning less optimally. It affects nearly everything in the body from the brain to the skin to the lungs to pains and aches that get much worse because of the smoking.
  2. The same goes for drinking. Light drinking (4 glasses wine per week) is max. But even for some this proves to be too much and result in joint pain. In quite a few cases people had to completely stop drinking alcohol in an attempt to get rid of the joint pains.
  3. Too little sleeping. Your body needs time to heal and repair. Too little sleeping rob it of this time. A good (6-8hrs) night rest will go a long way to help the body function optimally.

 

EATING

Our eating habits have a much bigger role to play in joint pain than you might think.

  1. Ensure that you drink enough filtered water per day (3L-6L). This helps washing out the toxins from the body. More toxins = more joint pain.
  2. Enough good oils. Apart from the fact that good oils (omega 3 & 6: peanut butter, olive oil, avocado, coconut) are critical for a healthy functioning hormonal system, it is also very important to help ease joint pain. Cutting out all good oils/fat from your diet will aggravate joint pain and result in low testosterone levels.
  3. You must ensure the body is in an alkaline environment with a PH of roughly 7. The more acidic the body gets, the more joint pain will be experienced, full stop. There are enough serious science studies to back this up. There are also many other advantages when you keep the body in an alkaline state. It has been proven to lessen your risk for cancer and supports a stronger immune system amongst others. On the next page there is a list of ALKALINE and ACIDIC foods to help you adjusting your diet. (A good starting point – lemon juice every morning and evening and cutting out wine and fizzy drinks. MANY people have gotten rid of their joints pains by simply changing their diet to a more alkaline one.)

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SUPPLEMENTS (natural)

  1. CQ10 (Co-Enzyme Q10). This has been proven by various science studies to be a potent long term pain combatant. However, as with most natural approaches, this only starts working after more than 1 month of continuous usage. [I take 300mg in morning and 300mg at night.]
  2. Even more potent than CQ10, MSM (METHYLSULPHONYLMETHANE) has helped many people changing their lives. It is not a wonder pill but with long term use can significantly ease joint pain. Effective results only achieved after about 3-4 months of continuous use. [I take 400mg morning and 400mg evening]
  3. The 3rd one, eish…this took me some time to support it’s use – CANNABIS oil. I am old school and anything drug-related, even for medical reasons is pretty much “no-go” territory for me. This one took some serious mind changing for me. Eventually I just could not ignore study after study that supported various benefits of CANNABIS OIL. The oil, which contains a higher ratio CBD to THD, is rather harmless when compared to the psychotropic effects of smoking cannabis. It is the THD that result in all this bad effects and the oil has a CBD/THD blend of about 85/15 in most cases which make it mostly harmless. Even here in South Africa the studies are nearly concluded and it looks like we are mere months away from Cannabis Oil being available over the counter for medical purposes. Apart from lowering blood pressure, combating nausea, helping with sleep and fighting cancer, it is actually a potent pain relief substance. 250-raw-cbdAfter about 3 weeks use the body reach a saturation point and then the real pain relieving properties kicks in. If you can get past the mind barrier of taking something that is closely drug related then this could have a drastic positive pain relief impact. And believe me it is not so easy getting past this “mind barrier” for us older folks…but it can be done…I took the plunge. The end result for me – less pain and drastic better sleeping at night. Also drastically lower blood pressure. [I take 1 drop morning, 1 drop afternoon and 5 drops before bed]. Cannabis oil (CBD/THD) has some very interesting medical applications. Some of the claims the cannabis groupies make is not backed up at all by science but some actually are, especially with the latest studies. I think this warrant a future article to give some more insight into this new emerging product (emerging…well at least in the medical mainstream community that is!).

 

MEDICATION

This is a territory you want to avoid. Yes, you can take anti-inflammatory meds, but this is hard on kidneys/liver/stomach and definitely NOT a long term solution.

The last resort and sometimes a necessary route is arthritis medication. There are various types depending on the severity and type of arthritis. A well know anabolic steroid, Deca-Durabolin, is known for its anti-arthritis / joint pain properties. But only your health care provider can do the necessary blood test to determine the problem and plan of action.

However most of the time if you take the points above about training, lifestyle, diet and supplementation seriously enough then you can have pain free over 40+ workouts.

Interested in my customized transformation system for the over 40 guy? Have a look here:  https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/

Happy training everybody!

Cheers

Gert Louw

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Nasty people – this one is for YOU!

Filed under: Be MOTIVATED!, DUDE Talk — 8 Comments
February 21, 2018

To watch the video click here: “NASTY PEOPLE – THIS ONE IS FOR YOU!”

 

This one is NOT for my followers/friends but for those, well, that simply does not like me. So friends and followers…skip this one! But you, yes you (!), read/watch this…

Now  why would I even bother talking to my haters?

Well, it is not about what they say (that is water of my back), it is about the intensity of hate they show that bugs me.

I find it difficult to comprehend just how dark a person’s heart must be to utter such intense hate to someone they know nothing about. Call me naïve but for me one must always act with the same moral and integrity rules which you apply in life, whether you are on internet or whether you physically talk to a person standing next to you.

My blocked list on youtube is challenging my subscribers list.

If you look at every article I wrote, every comment I made, every video I’ve made then you would very quickly see I adhere to 3 things:

  • I show every person the same respect I want them to show me
  • Integrity is extremely important to me
  • My moral conduct is guided by the one I follow – Jesus Christ.

So the fact that so many people have a distinct dislike in me, well, I reckon that is a sad sign of the times. It seems this is the way the world is today…hate is increasing for those that show respectful behaviour and integrity. The bad is becoming good in the eyes of the world and the good is becoming bad…

Now my rule is simple – If you don’t show basic common decency with your comments, sorry, you will be blocked. I never waste my time in responding to negative or destructive comments. I focus on the positive and uplifting in life.

The surest sign of a man with a lack of integrity is how he/she interacts in the faceless environment of internet. Thinking you can say what and how you want without any accountability or consequences tells me everything I want to know about you and it shows your heart in all it’s not-so-beautiful colours.

The moment a swear word exit’s your mouth it shows exactly what is in your heart. Because, what is in the heart, always (!) comes out the mouth…especially when it is in a faceless environment.

You have no idea who I am, what I’ve been through, how hard I’ve worked for what I have, whether I am a man of integrity, my path I walked with God, the challenges I am facing in my life and how many times I was at death’s door and how it changed me. You watch one minute of a  video of me, know nothing and then you want to wash out your mouth?

Don’t get me wrong, I have MUCH respect for any person saying anything, as long as he/she shows basic respect and common decency towards me. You can disagree with me 100% but as long as you are prepared to treat me with the same respect that I am treating you with, then we can talk like grown-ups and have a decent conversation.

But, you don’t care what you say, who you say it to and what effect it has on people. All you want to see is that you have made an impact with your nasty comment. An impact of hurting someone…it takes a dark heart my friend. And you know what? The worst of all is, you love that darkness.

If you want to know what I stand for, stop coming to conclusions before you have not read my blog www.gertlouw.com only then do you have an idea of who and what I am. And even then, when you speak to me it must be in a decent manner applying the same level of respect that you want me to apply to you no matter how much you dislike me.

Now, just to annoy you even further. Yes, I will keep on mentioning my relationship with Jesus Christ when I think it is applicable. This is my channel, whether you like it or not, He is and always will be my rock in life. I don’t care for political correctness, I care for what is right and what is wrong. I have many incredible faith experiences and many things to tell you but the fact is you are not interested and neither would you believe anything I say. But that is all fine as long as you respect my beliefs the way I respect yours.

Why is our society in this moral declining abyss? Simple – Jesus Christ is banned out of schools. With no moral anchor to guide us, children are blasted with gruesome violent and horrifically chilling video games. Children can do nearly anything in school as long as it got nothing to do with Jesus Christ who, ironically (!), was the biggest mentor of selflessness, respect and love for your fellow human being and moral guide to ever walk this earth. Children and adults alike have easy and free porn access on internet. Sex shops are around the corner and drugs and booze are easy to come by. Parents are banned from shaping kids into respectful adults through the most effective discipline tool, a good hiding. The result of all of this is just one thing – broken families and a broken world with extreme disrespectful youth growing up into disrespecting and moral-less adults. But the flaps stays over our eyes…we cannot seem to realize what is happening. Now you my friend, are a product of this broken society falling down this dark abyss. Why do you continue to do it? Is this really what you want to be? Do you not yearn to better yourself inside and outside and becoming someone you are proud off?

Don’t get me wrong. I am FAR from perfect! I still struggle with many things in my life…but one thing I do, is to seek a path where I always better myself continuously. I want to look into that mirror and like the inside and outside of that person I see. To be a man of integrity brings much peace in one’s life…that (!) I can promise you.

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I have not invited you to watch my channel or visit my sites. So if you do, it is out of your own accord. You don’t like what you see, please leave and never come back. But stop leaving nasty comments that only show just how dark your heart is. I don’t visit your site and leave nasty comments, show me the same respect. The old saying goes “If you don’t have anything good to say then don’t say anything at all.”

You need to let in some light into that heart my friend. You are in serious need of it…

Just do not expect me to read any of your hateful comments. My time and energy is spent on positive and uplifting things and the last thing I have time for is to entertain your dark heart.

May the peace of Christ be with you always.

Gert Louw

 

gERT STEROIDS.jpg

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What does a year of NO TRAINING do to a muscle physique?

Filed under: Be MOTIVATED! — 20 Comments
February 9, 2018

Hi guys and girls,

By now most of you know 2017 was a bummer year in my fitness quest. Nearly a month in total in hospital and striken by doctor from gym for just under twelve months…even brisk walking was not permitted.

But alas as off 1st Jan 2018 I am cleared by the doctor to enter the gym again! MAN I was SO glad.

So now, just over a month after I returned to gym, I am reflecting on how far my body has regressed and how far I have already progressed after the 1st month of training.

I’ve done this short documentary type video showing you my shape at 52, then the lowest point off my shape after 12 months of complete training absence and lastly my current shape 1 month after I returned to gym.

To watch the video, click here “12-months no training effect on a muscled body”

I am very positive after the progress of the 1st month, that reaching a level close to my best at age 52 should take not much more than 4 months at most.

The important thing now is to control my eagerness to raise the weight size to quickly. This can very easily result in tendon issues which is NOT what I am looking for now. So absolute wisdom needs to apply.

So who is joining me on this quest?

Wish you all happy training!

Gert

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13 year video log of transforming the body (40-53) to greatness.

Filed under: Be MOTIVATED! — 8 Comments
October 31, 2017

Hi guys and girls.

I am sitting with all this video footage of me flexing muscles and showing body development from the day I start at age 40 to my current age 53. With this video I decided to preserve it in single video format like a documentary style showing each years progress and in some case even going a bit backwards.

Yes, even me sometimes had to take a step backwards. Life is difficult and it might be one of many factors you have to deal with (health, sickness, injury, death in family, financial crisis, family matters. Believe me I know about obstacles and struggles…facing a BIG obstacle now – see video.) BUT…the key is and always will be to continue with persistence on the road of transforming the body. Obstacles there will be, ALWAYS, but it is the winners that work around them and sometimes have to pick up the pieces and persist and push through. Off course it is not easy. Not even close! Life never is… But I for one will fight this good fight and play the game with whatever hand of cards I been dealt with to the absolute BEST of my abilities…so what about you?

Click here to play video “13 years video log of transforming the body”

 

Anyway, year by year there was a steady progress. It took 6 years to get to my biggest size (40-46). It was not my most aesthetic look however. Some muscles was over developed and bulky compared to the rest. Sure it looked imposing and many would have been happy with it, but my aim was to have a balanced aesthetic muscled look. So from 46-53 my focus was on slightly smaller size but more aesthetic which is MUCH more difficult.

It did not always felt great to drop the size of certain muscle groups…I LOVE (!) big arms. But alas I had a goal in mind and that was driving me. And when I look in the mirror the smaller arms seemed even better looking than those monster size arms because of the better shape they had. Now in my book, THAT is what it is all about. Size might be the goal for some but size on it’s own will never create a stunning sculpture/body. I am not a artistic person, lol…so this is just about as far as my artistic aspiration will ever go.

This goal I obtained between ages 50 to just after 52. The system I am following (ADVANCED SYSTEM II) helped me on this journey to shape and mold the body.

One thing you must be aware off…great bodies takes time. There is no such thing as a 8 week or 6 week program. All these shortcuts and adverts…all is lies. You cannot build a great body in a matter of months, not even with steroids! (Most of the time good bodies are messed up when steroids are introduced…so be very careful.) Great bodies are build in matter of years, sometimes many years.

So this is my journey….now it is time for yours…

Wish you all a great day and happy training.

Gert Louw

Gert Louw GETTING DRESSED

 

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FREE Cutting & Building diets for a ripped muscled physique

Filed under: BB Supplements & Diet — Leave a comment
September 8, 2017

Click here to watch video “FREE Cutting & Building diets”

As discussed in previous videos the Cutting and Building phases/diets are done in a 3 month cycle. Three months Cutting diet followed by 3 months Building diet. This is called a cycle. Then after each cycle repeat the cycle again, and again and so on.

The purpose of the Cutting diet is to drop body fat while keeping muscles safe. Typical targets in a 3 month Cutting diet period is to drop the body fat with roughly 6% – 8%.

The purpose of the Building diet is to increase both the body fat and muscle size. Reason for the body fat increase is simply to stimulate better muscle growth. Muscle growth happens most effectively in a caloric surplus environment. The aim with the Building diet is to add roughly 4% – 5% body fat to help muscle growth.

Both diets stick to a small frequent meal system. For the simple reason that a frequent meal system keeps the digestive track activated continuously and thus results in a significant higher metabolic rate for the body which equals better fat loss. It is MUCH better for fat loss to take 5-7 small meals instead of 1-2 huge meals. It results in better fat loss plus you never feel bloated or uncomfortable from big servings plus you crave food much less.

The same following rules apply to both diets:

  1. NEVER exceed your daily calories.
  2. You MUST perform EVERY 14 DAYS a body monitoring with fat calipers, weighing scale and tape measurements to determine how your body responded to the previous 14 days daily calories.
  3. Never increase or decrease your diets calories with more than 10% in a 14 day period.

The body monitoring process is the CRITICAL part of the diet. If you do not do this thoroughly your diet will NEVER be correctly aligned for your body. You must remember that no 2 people’s metabolic rates are exactly the same. There are a magnitude of factors determine each of us metabolic rates. So if you do not align the diet for YOUR metabolic rate…the diet WILL FAIL!

Now the next step is to interpret the results from the 14 day body monitoring intelligently.

For the CUTTING DIET you do it as follows:

RESULT: lost muscle, ANALYSIS: very bad, ACTION REQUIRED: increase daily calories across the board with 10%

RESULT: lost muscle & fat, ANALYSIS: very bad, ACTION REQUIRED: increase daily calories across the board with 10%

RESULT: lost fat but muscle stayed the same, ANALYSIS: good, ACTION REQUIRED: this is where you want to be during your cutting diet. No change, but redo monitoring every 14 days to ensure you stay in this sweet spot.

RESULT: gain fat & muscle, ANALYSIS: very bad, ACTION REQUIRED: decrease daily calories across the board with 10%.

 

For the BUILDING DIET you do it as follows:

RESULT: lost muscle, ANALYSIS: very bad, ACTION REQUIRED: increase daily calories across the board with 10%

RESULT: lost muscle & fat, ANALYSIS: very bad, ACTION REQUIRED: increase daily calories across the board with 10%

RESULT: lost fat but muscle stayed the same, ANALYSIS: bad, ACTION REQUIRED: increase daily calories across the board with 10%

RESULT: gain fat & muscle, ANALYSIS: good, ACTION REQUIRED: this is where you want to be in the building diet. But be careful that you do not add too much fat so do the body monitoring  every 14 days to ensure you do not pick up too much fat.

WANT A HOLISTIC TRANSFORMATION SYSTEM FULLY CUSTOMIZED?  The program I am following for the past 6 years (age 46 to 52), available now fully customised on all levels. before-and-after-dec2016Every little secret, every hard-earned practical fact, every scientific study that actually support the (very) few supplements between all the thousand ridiculous advertisement claims have been filtered en incorporated into one system that MAKES A DIFFERENCE click here: 

https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/

 

Right now on to the actual diets. Both have a complete breakdown with detailed caloric values and protein/carb/fat content. This enable you to exchange food easily to spice up the diet. But be warned! Do NOT exceed the calories when exchanging food and ensure you stick to the protein/carb/fat ratios.

You will see there are 3 days provided for each diet. The Monday and Tuesday you must shuffle between all the weekdays except for Saturday. The Saturday menu plan must ONLY be followed for Saturday. It is meant to be a more relaxed menu plan that will enable you to socialize a bit. You can also squeeze two meals in one or even 3 into one ONLY on Saturday. Again…do NOT exceed calories.

THE CUTTING DIET

cd 1cd 2cd 3

THE BUILDING DIET

bd 1bd 2bd 3

Now you got all the diet tools to go and get shredded and add muscle.

MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Gert Louw

gert b&A 12May2016

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