Tag Archive: Health

Supplements – the GOOD, the BAD and the UGLY

Filed under: BB Supplements & Diet, DUDE Talk, EXPOSED supplements! — 2 Comments

January 30, 2019

Supplements – the GOOD, the BAD and the UGLY

Sounds like a movie title! And I am sure we are going to see a movie about this one-day. It is one of the biggest money turning industries and one of the shadiest mafia style operations out there. I would go so far as to say it is one of the biggest scams ever pulled on consumers.

One thing that is undeniable and proven by science is that the best of the best supplements out there makes less than a 3% contribution to your success in bodybuilding. It has a laughable small contribution for a LOT of money spend. (The key components are – Diet 80% and training +15%)

Thus, why supplement companies have to make such ridiculous fake claims and try and dress them up as facts to lure consumers into the trap of partying with their money. And they know consumers can’t really proof anything because it will take too much money and there are too many variables.

17855546_10155309123973944_8428685470746988949_o

There is not a single supplement out there that comes even close to the claims of its marketing material. Even from the “trusted” and big companies. There simply is no integrity in the supplement industry.

It is all blatant exaggeration coupled with fake “proof” photos which are either stolen or where people are paid to lie. Not a single photo used in the marketing of ANY supplement is ever real. Listen to this…not a single photo is real! They are ALL fake.

All these fitness guys with their Instagram posts and YouTube videos showing off the supplements in a subtle or not so subtle way…they all get paid to do this!

I personally have, to date, more than a 100 supplement companies (I will list some of more prominent ones at the end of this article) that stole my before and after photo and used it as “proof” with fake stories of how great their supplement is supposed to be working. And there are 100’s of cases similar to mine. If you have a striking before and after photo roaming around on internet, I guarantee you, rather sooner than later that it will start appearing in online supplement advertisements, off course without you even knowing about it.

Or if it is one of the big well-known companies, they will contact you and pay you money for the rights to use your photo with all kinds of fake claims of how you “transformed” with their product.

You will eventually have many fake names and fake stories on the internet of how you were supposed to have reached success with this supplement.

Attorneys are unwilling to take on these cases because they know that, especially the internet “companies” are more slippery than jellyfish with one front-end company after the other easily disappearing of the radar and popping up under a different name in a different country.

Consider this: One of the most widely advertised type supplements are products claiming to increase a man’s testosterone levels (and now I am talking about them all, does not matter which one). Now, if they were so effective even in the smallest way, why would a Doctor/Urologist not prescribe them when treating low testosterone levels in men? Simply because these supplements do not work! None of the information presented in the marketing of such products are legitimate. All are either false or half-truths. None of the science experiments they quote are legitimate and objectively verified. All is simply well-dressed up lies and half-truths.

This is the exact same case with ALL other supplement marketing campaigns. And the uneducated population is standing queues to buy these supplements believing the lies they are fed.

What is even scarier is that a significant slice of these internet supplement companies are actual scams, just to get their hook into your credit card and then the monthly deductions starts! How do they operate? Let’s look at an example…

The following (Delta Prime marketing) is how they typically advertise, abusing platforms like ESPN, well-known magazines (aka MUSLCE & FITNESS) and well known celebreties and photos from many guys who work hard and long to get their muscled bodies…all of whom are completely unaware they are being abused and all who have never used the supplement advertised (you will spot me also in there!). No one has given permission.

lfx03-s7dll

The above is an example of not just a fake product but an actual scam. They just want access to your credit card. After that you will have the “pleasure” of rather large recurring monthly deductions from your credit card which you will not be able to stop unless you cancel your card.

Another scary aspect of some supplements, is dangerously raised liver values and strain on kidneys. If you have raised liver values this is about the first thing your health care provider will ask you “Are you using bodybuilding supplements?”. So please take care what you put into your body. Many of these supplements have unverified contents.

Even the few supplements which have legitimate science behind them, makes but a very small difference. That difference is less than 3% at best. The supplements with solid science behind them are: Creatine, Whey Protein, BCAA and L-Glutamine. Sure, there might be new ones emerging in future that is backed by real legitimate science studies but be very careful what to trust and believe. The science quoted in marketing campaigns are nearly always disinformation or half-truths and not legitimate science at all. You need to verify the science from medical journals and independent science studies.

Donation to keep site free

PLEASE make a small donation to help keeping this site on internet and free.

$10.00

These are the reasons why I am so outspoken regarding bodybuilding supplements. Believe me I could have made a lot of money pushing brands and supplements by now! I had even companies trying to bribe me with money to keep me quiet about their products. We are made to believe supplements are the magic solution, but the truth is, it is lies and deceit carefully designed to simply get our money. Make your choices very careful.

Your focus in your bodybuilding goal must be your diet and your training. This is where more than 90% of your bodybuilding success lies. Supplements is what it says, “supplemental” and makes a very small difference, or none at all for most.

Considering the above and applying some wisdom, your budget allocation for transforming your body should be as follows:

80% budget should be allocated towards ensuring you have the necessary diet food (and containers, food scales, etc.) available to ensure your diet is effective in place.
15% of your budget should be allocated to gym fee’s and gym training clothes/attire.
Less than 5% of your budget should be allocated towards supplements because it cannot make a bigger difference than 5% (probably not more than 3%) in your success.

But off course having the correct system in place is critical otherwise you will continue wasting money and bumping your head without reaching any significant success. I have the complete system that I follow, available for clients. I customise it for their goals, body type, shape and current condition. It is a very extensive system which ensures EVERYTHING is correctly in place thus preventing all the common mistakes newbies in bodybuilding make. If you are interested, you can signup here: https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/

As mentioned earlier in the article, here is just some of the more prominent scam and fake supplements out there that use fake photos and fake stories to try and proof their supplements. My photos (any other people’s) have been used and abused multiple times by all of them and the list is ever growing:

ALPHA FUEL X
ANABOL X1
AMINO PRIME
APEX T
APEX IP
BIO MUSCLE XR
CRAZYBULK WINSITROL
DELTA PRIME
ELITE TEST 360
HGH XL
LIFEFORCE ENERGY
LIFEFORCE T-2000
NITRO FOCUS N03
NITRIC MAX MUSCLE
NIWALI TESTO BOOST
NUTRAGENTEX
NUTRA TESTERONE
POWER NO2 MAX
PROMAX PUMP
SUPER TEST-O-BOOST
T-ADVANCE
TESTO XL
TESTERONE XL
T-REX MUSCLE
TESTO XTRM
TRIG X2
ULTRAMAX BOOSTER
XFORCE NO2
XTREME NO
XENGTH X1
1285 MUSCLE

And many, many more!

Wish you happy training

Gert Louw

39332482_10156752626483944_6498271203722002432_o

Tags: 12 year, 1285 Muscle, 1285 MUSCLE And many, advanced system 2, advanced system ii, ALPHA FUEL X •, AMINO PRIME •, ANABOL X1 •, APEX IP •, APEX T •, •, BCAA and L-Glutamine. Sure, BIO MUSCLE XR •, Bodybuilding, budget, crazybulk, CRAZYBULK WINSITROL •, creatine, credit card, delta prime, diet, ELITE TEST 360 •, fit, fraud, Health, HGH XL •, instpiration, lifeforce, LIFEFORCE ENERGY •, LIFEFORCE T-2000 •, NITRIC MAX MUSCLE •, NITRO FOCUS N03 •, Niwali, NIWALI TESTO BOOST •, NUTRA TESTERONE •, nutragenix, NUTRAGENTEX •, over 50, over-40, POWER NO2 MAX •, promax, PROMAX PUMP •, scam, scams, SUPER TEST-O-BOOST •, T-ADVANCE •, T-REX MUSCLE •, TESTERONE XL •, testo, TESTO XL •, TESTO XTRM •, transform, transformation, TRIG X2 •, ultramax, ULTRAMAX BOOSTER •, xength, XENGTH X1 •, XFORCE NO2 •, xtreme, XTREME NO •

Comment

Over 40 – counteracting declining testosterone levels

Filed under: BB Supplements & Diet, DUDE Talk — 2 Comments

December 4, 2018

Click here to watch video ” OVER 40 – counteracting declining testosterone levels”

The fact of life is such that the testosterone levels of a guy over 40 are declining rapidly every year.

The worse is that average male testosterone levels are declining with every generation. Your blood testosterone levels are lower than your dads and his lower than his dad and so on…

No wonder men are so feminine today. No more Viking warrior type guys. Just this body-conscious guys, buying designer clothes and using more facial creams than the average girl. Wish, but I must be careful with the comparisons here, I might not like on which side I fall myself!

Whether we want it or not we are consuming many chemicals in our processed food everyday and this coupled with already ever so slightly chemically tainted water and land nearly everywhere, results in the natural testosterone levels of males declining artificially year after year. Definitely not the way God has made us! We are made men, strong, muscular and with LOTS of testosterone flowing through our veins. THAT is what is making us men and keeping us healthy.

Why do you think that most blacks from Africa are these virile muscled strong warrior guys? There is a very good reason for it…Africa is significantly less dependant on chemically enhanced food products and the water and land is yet mostly untouched by chemicals. Many argue it is genetic. I say sorry I disagree, if we lived in the same untouched environment consuming untouched food of the land then we would have been the same…we are changing ourselves! So wondering why I am living in Africa?

We are NOT meant to have this artificially lowered testosterone levels that’s currently running though the 21^stcentury male’s veins. We are meant to be warriors, muscled strongmen and protectors.

So if you are over 40 and your blood testosterone level fall in the middle to bottom part of what is considered “normal” then I tell you it are not close to what you supposed to be. One or two generations ago this would have been way below normal.

Studies show that men’s testosterone levels have been declining for decades. The most prominent, a 2007 study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, revealed a “substantial” drop in U.S. men’s testosterone levels since the 1980s, with average levels declining by about 1% per year.Oct 2, 2017

Now, this is scary guys! This mean I am not what I was meant to be! Me, don’t like!

Anyway this is just further ammunition that should spur us on to make sure our blood testosterone levels are very close to the max of healthy. Because that would have been the average just 2 generations ago!

The current min/max for male testosterone levels are: 270 to 1070 ng/dL with an average level of 679 ng/dL (although this actually differs slightly from region to region)

So, our target should be 800-1070ng/dL. Still considered within normal range but now with all the benefits that we were supposed to get from healthy testosterone levels:

Higher energy levels and less fatigue,
Easier to build muscle,
Easier to lose fat,
Impotence & ED would be unknown words to us,
Less heart problems and
MUCH less depressive states!
Strong bones, preventing osteoporosis (just some of the many benefits)

We would be real men as we were supposed to be!

SO, I don’t know about you, but I am not taking this lying down. I would do everything in my power to get my levels to the 800-1070 ng/dL range!

But be warn. Too much of a good thing is NOT always good! You do not want to exceed the max levels. Then there are unwanted risks you will be taking which is similar to the risks with some anabolic steroids.

So, for this article we assume that we stay within normal ranges.

So let’s get scientific here. How do we get that testosterone levels to the max?

Through a three-tier attack: Tier 1: Lifestyle, Tier 2 – supplements and lastly Tier 3 – TRT.

You might not want to do all or even need all. Do not move on to the next attack level if you have not tried all in the previous Tier. When starting with your journey to increase your levels, get your testosterone level checked then implement some of the below suggestions systematically, wait three months and get tested again and if not yet good enough implement more steps and after 3 months test again and so on.

It takes a minimum of 3 months for the body to adapt the new stimulus and correct hormonal levels.

Donation to keep site free

PLEASE make a small donation to help keeping this site on internet and free.

$10.00

First Tier attack – lifestyle changes.

The following lifestyle changes has been proven by scientific studies to increase total testosterone levels in men of all age groups:

Exercise and lift weights. Weights especially plays a big role to increase testosterone levels.
Taking caffeine and creatine monohydrate as supplements for training help boost testosterone levels.
Caloric controlled diet. Too little calories or too much calories can disrupt your testosterone levels. A combination of 40/30/30 protein/fat/carbs in calories are best suited.
You might also want to experiment with Intermittant Fasting which is claimed to have positive effects on Testosterone levels – however most find it an unsustainable long-term diet approach.
Minimize stress and Cortisol levels.
Extra Vit D & sun to activate Vit D. Half the US population has a vit D deficiency. Optimal vit D levels can increase testosterone levels by 25%!
Plenty of restful high-quality sleep. For example just cutting sleeping from 8 to 5 hours a day result in a 15% reduction in testosterone levels.
Healthy sex life boost testosterone levels.
High exposure to estrogen-like chemicals will decrease testosterone levels dramatically. We are talking about fuel vapor, BPA, parabens and other chemicals found in plastic (remember my Africa vs the rest of the world example?)
Laughter and happiness boost testosterone levels.

Second Tier attack – supplements

Already mentioned in above is Vit D, Creatine monohydrate and coffee.

But before we discuss the supplements, let’s look at the science again here. The supplements out there that claim to raise overall testosterone levels has been shown to be close to worthless or has such a small effect that it is really not worth the money. There is no supplement out there that can effectively raise overall testosterone levels naturally. But (!) it is not actually about the overall testosterone levels. What it is about, is the FREE (not bonded to any proteins or SHBG) testosterone levels. Your total testosterone is made up of:

Testosterone BONDED with SHBG – roughly 64-65% of our testosterone
Testosterone bonded to the protein albumin – roughly 34-35% of our testosterone
Testosterone that is not bonded and are FREE – roughly 2%

There might not be supplements that effectively raise overall testosterone levels but there are plenty of scientifically proven supplements out there that can rather effectively raise the FREE test levels, thus making the testosterone in your system MUCH more potent. Most of your testosterone in your system binds with SHBG (the sex hormone) or the protein Albumin and then become pretty much worthless to you! All that matters are the FREE testosterone (that 2%) that is available in your blood. They way most of these supplements work is to encourage SHBG or Albumin to bond with something else before it bonds with testosterone thus leaving more, FREE (unbonded) testosterone available in your system…and that’s all you want! The science studies showed a FREE test increase of 25% and more with these supplements.

The following easy-to-come-bysupplements has been proven scientifically to rather quite effectively increase FREE test levels:

Boron at (10mg per day)
Vitamin D (as directed on container)
Magnesium Celate (as directed on container)
Zinc (as directed on container)
DHEA (as directed on container)
DIM (as directed on container)

The following difficult-to-come-bysupplements has some interesting science studies on mice/rats that showed to be very effective in increasing FREE test in subjects:

Avena Sativa (active ingredient Avenacosides must be higher than 5%). Tthis is actually OATS! But you need the concentrated active ingredient for it to be effective.
Urtica Dioica / Stinging Nettles – must be from the root of the plant.
Carao (from the Cassia Grandis Plant)
Muira Puama

GERT1 (1)

Third Tier attack – TRT

If your doctor prescribe you TRT and your testosterone does not exceed the max level then you are NOT on steroids. He is treating a serious medical condition to get you healthy again. However, if you use TRT treatment while already having healthy (high) testosterone levels then well, then you are just another juicer.

Typical TRT dosage is 100mg every 7 days or 200mg every 14 days. More than 130mg per 7 days and you are juicing.

The medical experts dealing with this is either a sports doctor or Urologist. They also have more understanding and knowledge in the field of TRT treatment. Your normal house doctor usually has very little knowledge about the subject and will most probably be reluctant to prescribe treatment.

So, what are the risks you are taking by having a testosterone level slightly above the max level?

You will be slightly more prone to blood clotting. This however is not a problem when you are an active person taking part in regular training/sports/activity. But if you are very sedentary person, then there might be a risk.
Shrinking “ball” size. The testis are the testosterone factories and when they are not being used, then they stop producing. Thus, when not used it will shut down and becoming smaller and smaller. But all is not lost. If you start TRT treatment you MUST simultaneously start with HCG treatment every 2^ndday at 500iu. This will keep stimulating the testis to avoid shutting down and you should be able to keep the size. They might even get slightly bigger, bonus!

These are about the only real world side effects from TRT treatment you will ever experience. Remember guys testosterone is as natural to your body than water! There are many scary fake news and uninformed people out there claiming all kinds of things about TRT treatment, but simply put, they are uneducated. TRT has been very well tested and researched. You cannot get any of the normal steroid side effects from TRT because your testosterone levels are NORMAL when on TRT!

Sadly, there is a trend lately of these uninformed people to vehemently oppose TRT treatment. Well, each to his own. If they want to suffer from bad heart health, low energy, severe depressive states, struggling to lose fat, struggling to build muscle, erection problems and ED then let them be, it is their choice. Me on the other hand will continue my fight with all the tools at my disposal to increase my quality life as I get older.

So, I do not know about you, but I intend to be that man I was MEANT to be.

And if that means I have to manipulate a couple of things to be that man, then so be it!

Let’s rise fellow Vikings and flex our muscles to strike fear into the hearts of the lads with their facial creams and designer clothes!

Those over 40 guys that want to get a transformation lifestyle approach to get that Viking body, you can signup here: https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/

Cheers everyone

Gert Louw

Gert sea4

Tags: albumin, avena Sativa, boron, Carao, chemical contamination, dhea, diet, Dim, free testosterone, HCG, Health, IF, lifestyle, magnesium, middle-age, Muira Puama, research, shbg, testosterone, trt, urtica Dioica, vikings, vitamin d, zinc

Comment

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:

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.
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.
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!

Donation to keep site free

PLEASE make a small donation to help keeping this site on internet and free.

$10.00
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.
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.
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.
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!”

MARKETING3

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

Tags: Bodybuilding, breakfast, cancer, casual sex, dark place, death, depression, faith, family, financial ruin, fitness, grand fight, Health, heart attack, HIV, inspiration, integrity, lifestyle, middle-age, nutrition, relationship, rise up, rock bottom, sex, sickness, thoughts, training

Comment

Mental health for the over 40 guy

Filed under: Be MOTIVATED!, DUDE Talk — 6 Comments

October 2, 2018

A rather significant portion of men over 40 is on some form of anti-depressant medication…so let’s discuss in this article what you can do as an over 40 male to avoid this trap which is destroying many lives out there.

Click here to watch video “Dealing with depression – for the over 40 guy”

Pressure from family, work and life is ever rising in the race to make more and more money. Time is at a premium and the first thing sacrificed is nearly always looking after our bodies. Then add unhealthy eating and the use of alcohol/smoking to the mix and this becomes the perfect recipe for impending disaster waiting to go off like a time-bomb. The first signals we get about impending doom is when depression strikes. This is screaming at you that something is seriously wrong. But what do we do? We grab at pills just to medicate the symptom ignoring the fact that this was a signal screaming at full pitch at us. But our hectic 21 century lives have made us deaf to this voice of our body…we just throw down more and more pills to numb us more and more until the time-bomb eventually explodes and destroys everything in its path creating pain and suffering for all we loved and cared about. Sounds melodramatic? Maybe, but the sad part is that this is very true!

I’ve come very close to this point in my life. I’ve learned how to avoid it and thought I would share with you my approach on how to handle depression when you are an older guy.

GertLouw32Small

They key to good mental health for the over 40 guy, starts with a fit body. This is the biggest single contributor to good mental health. We were not created to be sedentary beings and inactivity brings about a lack of all the hormones we require for a healthy mind. These feel-good and uplifting hormones are only released through physical activity and some only through intense physical activity. This can make us feel on top of this world! Without these hormones depression is a given. But the problem is that, when we are in that dark place of depression, the hardest thing is to gather the motivation to get ourselves to the gym. So, what do I do? This is something I have addressed in various of my videos. For me getting to gym and working out is elevated to the same priority as getting to work in the morning. If I do not have a sick certificate I get to work and I GET TO GYM. You do not have an option to not go to work if you’re depressed or not feeling like it! The exact (!) same apply to my gym. It is not a matter off whether I feel like it or whether I am down or not in the mood or not motivated! I just get in the car, drive to gym, put on my workout clothes and my headphones, select my Spotify playlist “GERTFITNESS WORKOUT #1” and start doing my first set. And then the next set and the next. And man, many times I have found that, that was one of my best workouts. And I ALWAYS walk out there positive and feeling great because I have done what I need to do to get my brain filled with the much needed hormones to lift my mood and give me a positive frame of mind. Off course I could have stayed at home feeling sorry for myself because of my depressive state but now I feel positive and uplifted. Nothing comes close to lifting your frame of mind to a positive state like a good intense workout. The key to it all is to elevate your training’s priority setting to the same as that of your job’s priority. It is NOT an option to bail out unless you have a sick certificate.

Want my training and diet approach customised for you? You can signup here: https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/

Note here: Inspiring tunes can make an incredible difference to help you endure an intense workout when you struggling with a depressive frame of mind. Do not underestimate the power of music. I have created my Spotify playlist specifically for this purpose. (You can find it on Spotify by just searching “GertFITNESS WORKOUT #1”. I have made it a collaborative playlist so if there is a rocking tune you think should belong in this playlist please feel free to add it!)

Now just to remind you, I have reason more than most to be depressed. Nearly died at 40 and given a bad prognosis for my future health. Then at 46 I nearly lost my business. And at 53 an even closer call with death with near complete liver failure as result of drinking dirty water, keeping me for long in hospital and out of gym for a full 12 months seeing all my hard work on my body of the past 13 years going to waste and pretty much had to start over at age 54. This is much reason to be depressed…believe me. But having a system in place where the priority I allocate to gym is non-negotiable and not depending on mood or frame of mind or whether I feel like it, means I get to gym for a great workout and every-time the resultant feel-good hormonal release prevents me from slipping into a depressive state. If it was not for this non-negotiable gym rule I would have been in a serious depressive state.

You don’t “need” motivation. You simply need to put in place this non-negotiable workout rule and elevate working out to the same priority level as rocking up for your job. EXACTLY THE SAME. You only miss your workout if you miss your job that day!

Donation to keep site free

PLEASE make a small donation to help keeping this site on internet and free.

$10.00

Then off course there are other smaller things I put in place to keep the darkness of depression from engulfing me.

Let me give you a quick rundown:

The first thing any guy suffering from depression should do is to get his blood testosterone levels checked by a Urologist. You must ensure that your levels are healthy. If not you MUST go on TRT therapy. Low test levels in males WILL result in severe depressive states and many other health risks. TRT therapy plays a definite role in a positive mindset in a man.
Alcohol is glue for depression! Thinking you need an unwinding glass of wine after a hectic day is only a good idea if you are faaaaar from a depressive state. Otherwise it will have the opposite effect and pull you much quicker into depression. Plus, that glass of alcohol will most certainly mean you will miss your workout session as well. Plus, the alcohol is not doing you any good with your body fat levels meaning more negative thought patterns because you are missing your goal with loosing body fat. Thus if red lights are flickering because of a lingering depression, steer CLEAR from alcohol. Any overuse of any stimulant (including caffeine), should be avoided because that will result in a “valley” mood (after the peak) which will elevate a depressive state.
You cannot expect your brain chemicals to be healthy when feeding your body junk! Your 2^nd line of action after getting yourself regularly to gym is sorting out your diet. Lots of fresh veggies, fresh fruit, moderate carbs and fat free protein with some good oils (virgin olive, coconut, peanut butter, etc…) and no carbonated drinks! A good sample diet to start is here: https://gertlouw.com/2017/09/08/free-cutting-building-diets-for-a-ripped-muscled-physique/
Serious emotional issues are your worst enemy in your fight against depression. I know life is not easy. Divorce, death of a loved one, serious sickness, retrenchment, financial trouble, all is very real and all can destroys lives. But all of this can also bring out the best in you. It can let you rise up and become a hero and role model that many people can look up to and not just transform your life but even those around you. Or it can mean you become just another statistic of a person absorbed by severe depression. It is all in how you decide to handle what you are facing. This is your time now, to rise up and become that person you have dreamed off, to be the best version of you ever, to be the hero and role model everyone is looking at for inspiration. No, it is not easy. Nothing worth in life is EVER easy…but it is always a 1000 times over worth it.
Off course I use some basic supplements for a healthy and positive mind. They are:

Vitamin B12 injection once a month for optimal nerve system functioning (read this link on a vitamin B12 study regarding its use as an anti-depressant): American Journal of Psychiatry)

5-HTP – natural option for upping serotonin levels.

Vitamin D –a deficiency in vitamin D will feel very much like depression.

Last but not least…and I know many will shrug this off. But, I find my greatest comfort in my faith following Jesus Christ. If there ever was someone that walked this earth that was the epitome for living the great adventure of life positively, being kind and caring and depression free, then it was the example Jesus Christ showed us. So, you might think this is opium for the masses stuff…but boy what opium it is! This alone has the ability to transform many aspects of your life and keep you depression free with a lust for life. Ask me…I know!

So guys, whatever you are facing, there are always choices we can make on how we going to deal with this. In each of us there is greatness, that is the way God created us. This is your time to look into yourself and unlock that greatness. Depression is just an alarm bell…listen to the alarm clock and change what needs to be changed.

May your journey be blessed.

Gert Louw

Tags: 5-htp, alcohol, Bodybuilding, death, depression, diet, emotional issues, faith, financial trouble, Health, healthy, inspiration, life, lifestyle, mental health, middle-age, mind, mood, motivate, over 50, over-40, sickness, spotify, thoughts, training, vit b12, vitamin d, work

Comment

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

photo6b

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)

Please help me keeping this site on air by making a small donation:

Donation to keep site free

PLEASE make a small donation to help keeping this site on internet and free.

$10.00

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

Tags: Bodybuilding, experiment, fit, fitness, glucosamine, heal, healing, Health, Injury, inspiration, joint, lifestyle, magic, middle-age, msm, muscle, omega 3, over-40, pain, painfull, pbc 157, science, tear, Tendon, tendonitus

Comment

Intermittent Fasting – think before you leap!

Filed under: BB Supplements & Diet — 2 Comments

June 19, 2018

intermittent Fasting – think before you try!

The following quote from one of the my clients about his experience with intermittent fasting summarize my whole point about the Intermittent Fasting craze that is currently sweeping the muscle-building fraternity: “My belief, and my naturapath’s belief is that intermittent fasting downgraded my metabolism and thus now going back to normal eating, my body thinks I’m getting too many calories for it’s new low need.”

The bottom line is, it cannot be denied that some competing athletes had great success to get shredded by using Intermittent Fasting as a tool in their arsenal.

Gert Louw green small

What 99% of the people seem to forget is that the people who apply intermittent Fasting are experts in their field who know exactly what they are doing. When someone who is a casual bodybuilder applies IF, the results are most of the time less than desirable. However, there are always the exceptions, I’ll admit that.

But few casual bodybuilders (meaning non-competitive athletes) go to the extreme levels of measuring, monitoring and analyzing everything. These competing guys do regular fat caliper, weighing scale, tape measurements and body water content checks to see (sometimes on a daily basis) the effect their past 24 hours diet approach had on their body. Those are the people who usually get success, because they are to the extreme in touch with every aspect of their body and manage everything in the finest detail.

But the casual lifter just want to look better and do what he does for enjoyment. The dedication is not NEARLY on the level that is required for one to apply something like Intermittent Fasting successfully.

I am not saying IF does not work, not at all, I am saying don’t expect to use a tool an expert use and apply it in a casual fashion and think it will work as effectively as it work for them.

For the non-competitive athlete using IF, it usually spells disaster = less muscles + more body fat, simply because when not applying correctly IF will very easily result the body to enter a “famine mode” whereby it thinks it is in a famine environment. And this means the body will do everything to ensure it can survive as long, thus lowering the metabolism drastically. It will also prefer to use energy from muscles (Glutamine, Glycogen) which usually result in smaller muscles while the body will protect it’s bodyfat storage at all costs to ensure it has what it takes to outlive the famine period it thinks it ‘s detected. With end result loosing muscles and very little bodyfat. This is the last thing you want to happen!

Let’s look at some of the negatives of intermittent Fasting

interference with the SOCIAL aspect of eating
Getting hungry, low energy and unproductive
Fasting = binge
Digestion Issues
Unclear impact on heart
Is is NOT for everyone
Potential long-term health consequences (especially women)
Potential weight gain
Lowered metabolism

Off course there are some really interesting benefits to IF (like cognitive and body rejuvenation aspects) but with the risks especially when you do not have the dedication and time to perform the necessary body monitoring, my advice to you is to rather stick to a tried and tested lifestyle approach and nutrition to reach your success with a standard 14 day body monitoring approach to keep the diet calories aligned to your unique metabolism and leave the tricks of the trade like intermittent Fasting to those that are willing to put in the necessary time and effort to make it work, like the competing athletes as a short-term trick to get shredded..

Donation to keep site free

PLEASE make a small donation to help keeping this site on internet and free.

$10.00

As you can recall in my previous video I made a specific point that the truth to reaching success is not held by a single method or person but that many road leads to success because of our diversity with regards to genetics, lifestyle and beliefs systems. But what I am preaching is specific to the guy over 40 who have a job, family and many obligations to fulfill. He is not a competing athlete and never will be. He wants the safest quickest and healthiest road to success. For such people, intermittent Fasting is a risky tool better left alone. And this is where my ADVANCED SYSTEM II comes in to provide you with that total, safe and healthy approach to reach success: https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/

Wish you all happy training!

Gert Louw

GERT LOUW LIB21B

Tags: advanced system ii, aesthetic, athlete, Body fat, Bodybuilding, cardio, cons, diet, Fasting, fit, Health, IF, inspiration, intermittent fasting, lifestyle, middle-age, muscle, nutrition, pros, ripped, science, shredded, work

Comment

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.

Donation to keep site free

PLEASE make a small donation to help keeping this site on internet and free.

$10.00

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/

Gert Louw BI10 small

Tags: 28 day diet, advanced system ii, aesthetic, Bodybuilding, bodybuilding.com, cardio, diet, faith, family, fit, fitness, Health, inspiration, integrity, internet, ironman, lies, life, lifestyle, middle-age, muscle, muscles, nutrition, over 50, over 60, over-40, quick solution, science, supplements, too good to be true, web, work

Comment

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.

Donation to keep site free

PLEASE make a small donation to help keeping this site on internet and free.

$10.00

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/

Gert RED shirt.jpg

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

motivation wordpress.png

Tags: body, Bodybuilding, fitness, food, gert louw, gertfitness, Health, inspiration, life, lifestyle, middle-age, motivate, motivation, muscle, muscles, ripped, shredded, training, transformation, work

Comment

Over 40? How to avoid the BLUE pill!

Filed under: BB Supplements & Diet, Be MOTIVATED!, DUDE Talk — 7 Comments

March 6, 2018

Ladies, sorry but this is for the eyes of guys only! For guys under 30, not really applicable to you but then again to be educated will help you to deal with this problem swiftly whenever it ever arises.

Click here to watch video “OVER 40 – HOW TO SAY NO TO THE BLUE PILL”

So, you are over 40 (or like me, waaay over 40) and it does not do any positive things for your ego knowing you need that blue pills in the cupboard. Now, you might think that us “older” guys should in any case not be interested in sex and stuff. Well, I reckon there are many over 40 guys out there that, due to their totally unfit and unhealthy lifestyle, probably live a life unwillingly devoid of sex. But that is no fun at all! I am over 50 and well, I LOVE sex and all related kinky “things”. The fact that I am fit, healthy and active most probably play a big role in this. So as long as I am able I am going to have great fun with my wife deep into my old age and you youngsters can frown all you want!

But alas, the fact is we are not 18 anymore and no matter how fit or how healthy we live, when you are over 40 the need for the blue pill become an increasing reality.

Let’s look at the 3 levels of attack on how to deal with this “problem” and avoid that dreaded blue pill.

First level of attack.

No smoking
Little drinking
Changing unhealthy living and eating habits
Embark on a fit lifestyle

All these things have a massive impact on blood flow and a man’s ability to maintain a strong erection.

Second level of attack.

With above in place we now move on the 2^nd level of attack.

Ensure your blood testosterone levels are healthy (if not get the doctor to prescribe TRT – don’t mess around with this. Low T levels have severe negative medical implications for your health).
Ensure cholesterol levels are healthy.
Ensure blood pressure levels healthy.

Third level of attack.

Ok, now for the magic. You’ve done all of the above, but eish…you are still not happy with your performance between the sheets. The memories of your rock-hard-ability during youth is now but just salt into a raw wound for you.

But not all are lost. You still can avoid the blue pill and get very close to that young man ability, even exceeding it. There is a stack out there that is not only great for your bodybuilding efforts but also have magical positive effects to make you feel like a young man again.

And no (!) it is NOT steroids and not hearsay either. It is not Facebook fake news and neither bro science. It is solid real science and I can personally vouch for it’s effectiveness…my wife too (although I would never tell her this secret…she thinks it is just my virile self)!

The stack works in the same way the blue pill works, by enhancing blood flow but goes much further than this. You will find sensations you never had before. Plus the size, especially the flaccid size, is impressive to say the least. None of this “shriveled up thing” anymore, but only impressively solid-looking, flaccid or not. And great news for some guys, this stack also stimulates libido. Yes, you actually want sex. So if this has been a problem in the past, then this stack might just be the solution you were looking for.

Any side effects or negative things about the stack? Apart from that you must get the approval of your healthcare provider since it might interact with certain medications, especially depression meds, there are only good news about this stack. The stack could even help lowering your blood pressure. Is great for vein health and a many other things.

Let’s look at some of the more obvious benefits of this stack:

improved cardiovascular endurance
can boost muscle mass
reduce fat levels
improve general health
stimulate release of growth hormone
lower blood pressure
increase sexual drive/libido, especially in older men
enhanced mood levels (treating depression)
increased metabolism
increase mental clarity
appetite suppression
improve sexual stamina
help control migraines and inflammation

So what is this magical “blue pill replacement” stack to make you spark again?

Donation to keep site free

PLEASE make a small donation to help keeping this site on internet and free.

$10.00

BLUE PILL REPLACEMENT STACK

L-Arginine (4g upon waking up on empty stomach and 4g just before training on empty stomach) From the brand I use this is 6 pills morning and 6 pills before training. (Just a word of warning – sensitive people might experience stomach and gastro intestinal discomfort and pain when taking large quantities of L-Arginine)
L-Tyrosine (1.5g upon waking up on empty stomach and 1.5g just before training on empty stomach) From the brand I use this is 6 pills morning and 6 pills before training.
L-Ornithine (500mg upon waking up on empty stomach and 500mg just before training on empty stomach) From the brand I use this is 2 pills morning and 2 pills before training.
Citrulline Malate (1g upon waking up on empty stomach and 1g while training) From the brand I am using this is 1 standardized scoop in morning and 1 scoop I drink during training.

How soon does it start working? Some effects will be experienced within a few days but the full effect is experienced after a period of about 6 weeks. This is great for health (including sexual health), bodybuilding and many other positive things, so this is a stack you can and should be using non-stop. However, as stated earlier, you must get your healthcare providers approval for any supplement changes, just to be on the safe side.

Here is a photo of my stack.

20180305_213742

I buy everything at my local pharmacy (Dischem) but most health shops should stock these goodies. Except maybe the Cutrilline Malate which you might get from a bodybuilding supplement store since it is considered a pre-workout supplement. There are many different brands, but one of the more trusted brands is always SOLAL.

Want my transformation system customised to your body and goals? Have a look here: https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/

So guys, let’s not take this lying down…hmmm, wrong words, let’s actually do take this lying down and recapture the virility of our youth. Just make sure wife is using a contraceptive though!

Wish you all happy training.

Gert Louw

www.gertlouw.com

gert blue video cover.jpg

Tags: arganine, blue pill, boner, CIALIS, citrulline, ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION, erection, flaccid, food, hard, hardon, Health, inspiration, Libido, life, lifestyle, middle-age, ornithine, penis, rock-hard, sex, sex drive, sexual, stack, testosterone, thyrosine, training, viagra, women, work, youth

Comment

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:

TRAINING

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.
Consider training lighter for a 6-month to a year period if you struggle with a serious tendon/joint issue.
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.
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.)
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

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.
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.
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.

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.
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.
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.)

Donation to keep site free

PLEASE make a small donation to help keeping this site on internet and free.

$10.00

SUPPLEMENTS (natural)

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.]
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]
The 3^rd 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. After 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

Tags: acidic, alcohol, alkaline, back, Bodybuilding, cannabis, CQ10, deca, drinking, durabolin, fit, fitness, food, Gert, gertfitness, Health, inspiration, joint, lifestyle, louw, middle-age, msm, muscle, oil, omega, over 50, over 60, over-40, pain, ph, smoking, Tendon

Comment

How to return to gym after LONG lay-off

Filed under: BB Training & Exercises, Be MOTIVATED!, SURVIVAL TIPS for Cancer/Fibromyalgia/HIV+ — 8 Comments

February 14, 2018

How to (re) start your body transformation after a long lay-off.

This article is for those that has been off gym for 6 months or longer due to a severe injury or health issues and who need to resume training. How do you know if your body is fit/healthy enough to return to gym?

Click here to play video “STARTING A TRANSFORMATION AFTER A LONG LAY-OFF”

Before one can officially resume training one must first establish if the body is in a state to deal with the training resumption. In other words, is it healed enough to have the required stamina to start? If not, believe me you can do serious, serious harm.

So how do you determine if the body is ready or not?

First let’s look at the reason for your off-time from training

First you need to analyse your situation. Was it medical or non-medical?

Non-medical: If it was due to a loss of a loved/divorce or something similar? Then you were right to take off from gym. Some things in life is so important and life altering that one need time to absorb and process everything. Me, I like doing that while I am lifting, but all of us have our own way in dealing with life issues.

If it was due to work pressure/other pressures in life, well then not good! This means it is going to happen again and again until you have made a change. Stress is NOT good for building up your body. The stress hormone cortisol is a powerful catabolic hormone that makes effective muscle growth very difficult. You need to find ways of dealing with stress effectively. Sometimes the change is simply changing your attitude towards stress/busy schedules and learn to love the buzz of the fast-moving pace. We have amazing power in ourselves to decide how we react and respond to our surroundings and situations. What has to change is that fact that gym time needs to be of a higher priority in such a busy schedule. Gym must be nonnegotiable. If this means you have to do it early mornings or late at night so be it. You need to learn to allocate and hour and a half space for yourself during the day and that is your gymtime. This must be of the same priority of eating & sleeping, it must be non-negotiable. It is not optional it is a given. Let this sink in…it is NOT optional! So the fact that you sometimes do not feel like gyming…that carries NO WEIGHT. It is like sleeping & eating, you go there no matter what and you simply JUST DO IT.

If it is medical related (sickness, organ problems, etc…) well then it is a different situation. You have little control over it. But somewhere along the line you need to resume again. Most doctors could not care less in telling you to stop gyming. I found this out the hard way. After my first near death hospital visit last year I had no clear instructions regarding when and with how much I could start training. After just a few very light gym sessions (which I struggled through greatly because of no stamina) I ended up again in hospital. Simply because my body which was not healed enough for me to apply any pressure to it. Luckily I ended up with a specialist that really know what he is doing and he then insisted that I need to be completely sedentary until certain important requirements was met with my health. The key factor here is to be very mindful of your body. You must never train through pain or apply intensity when the body has extreme weakness. If the body is right for training you will not suffer from extreme weakness and easy exhaustion. This is a sure sign the body need more time to recover.

Donation to keep site free

PLEASE make a small donation to help keeping this site on internet and free.

$10.00

Now the next step

For all of the above scenario’s, you will apply the same approach.

That approach is two-fold:

First determine if your body is at all fit/healthy enough to resume training
Secondly when above criteria met, then generally one is cleared to start slowly training again according to a specific system. Critical in all these to get your doctor’s clearance.

So let’s look at how to determine if your body is at all fit/healthy enough to resume training

Week one – brisk walking. This is to test your stamina levels and if you are ready to return to gym.

Day 1: 5 min brisk walking.
Day 2: 10 min brisk walking.
Day 3: 20 min brisk walking,
Day 4: 30 min brisk walking.
Day 5: 40 min brisk walking.

If you can do the above fairly easily without having serious stamina/exhaustion problems, your body is for all practical purposes healthy and fit enough to return to gym with a specific introduction system. However, if you struggle in any means to manage above, keep your brisk walking time per day at 15-20 min and repeat for week 2.

To test if your body is ready you must pass the test of being able to do brisk walking for 40 min without too much exhaustion/stamina problem. ONLY then should you return to gym with the system explained beneath.

Slowly start training

The program you should follow to introduce gym to the body is a slow and gradual process. Joints, tendons and muscles are weak and need to follow a gradual approach to strengthen otherwise it easily can result in a serious injury.

Here is the “STARTING FROM SCRATCH” gym program for the next 3-months: https://gertlouw.com/2014/06/02/how-do-i-start-a-body-transformation-from-scratch/

And if you want to watch the video, click here “STARTING FROM SCRATCH”

After the above is completed, then you are ready to move onto serious training ground…this is where you can start with the ADVANCED SYSTEM II to start shaping and building the body into your dream body (again): https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/

We have one life and it is much more fragile than you might think. Apply wisdom and the body will respond in kind. Apply ignorance and you could even die. Change inside and out and become a man with integrity like a rock and a body to match!

Wish you all happy training!

Gert Louw

Tags: bodybuilder, Bodybuilding, faith, food, Gert, gertfirness, gym, Health, inspiration, life, lifestyle, louw, middle-age, muscle, muscles, resume training, sickness, training, walking, work

Comment

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

Tags: bodybuilder, Bodybuilding, faith, family, fit, fitness, gertfitness, gym, Health, inspiration, muscle, muscled, muscles, over 50, over-40, transform, transformation, video

Comment

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:

NEVER exceed your daily calories.
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.
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. Every 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 1 cd 2 cd 3

THE BUILDING DIET

bd 1 bd 2 bd 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

Tags: abs, Bodybuilding, building, bulking, calories, cutting, diet, Diets, fitn, fitness, gert louw, gertfitness, Health, healthy, muscle, muscle gain, nutrition, ripped, shredded

Comment

Firing up your metabolism

Filed under: BB Supplements & Diet — 2 Comments

September 1, 2017

Most of us know that the key to controlling fat-loss lies in our bodies metabolic rate.

Now as already proven by science there are quite a few things we can do to manipulate the metabolic rate of our bodies. And by applying all these WILL have a massive impact on our fat-loss journeys to obtain ripped physiques’.

Click here to watch video “FIRING UP YOUR METABOLISM”

But one thing stands apart from all these. There is one thing we can do that head and shoulders stands above the rest to elevate your metabolic tempo of the body.

Before I name this golden trick, let me take you back a bit.

When we eat a meal our digestive system is activated for 2-3 hours to process the food. This has been scientifically proven to be a very high energy requirement process. So for 2-3 hours after eating a meal (small or big) the body will have a significant raised metabolic rate.

For those that eat 1 large meal a day, it means their metabolic rate is raised for a max 3 hours per day

Those eating 2 biggish meals a day has raised metabolic rates of maximum 6 hours per day.

However those that divide the same amount of food into 5-7 small meals a day will have a raised metabolic rate for about 15 hours and longer per day spanning well into sleeping time. They will eat the same amount of food but just in much smaller meal portions and they will have a significant raised metabolic rate for the major part of a 24 hour cycle. This will have a dramatic impact on fat-loss efforts.

Sure this will result in insulin spiking much more frequently…but insulin spiking is not at all that bad. Insulin is the most potent muscle-building hormone in the body by far and this eating habit will result in a huge advantage to increase muscle size when combined with resistance training.

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. Every 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/

But what about the fat gaining aspects of regular insulin spiking? Well, the benefits of a raised metabolic rate by consuming small frequent meals by far offset the negative aspects of spiking insulin multiple times during the day and on top of this the muscle-building benefits of the insulin spiking further add significant benefits to body shape, muscle size and achieving fat-loss.

The bottom line is – when in search for a great looking body, a small frequent meal system can have a drastic positive impact.

But this is not all you can do to fire up the metabolism…look at the following tricks that can further be applied in an effort to raise the bodies metabolic tempo:

TEN Easy Ways to Boost Your Metabolism (Backed by Science)

Metabolism is the term for all the chemical reactions in your body.

These chemical reactions keep your body alive and functioning.

However, the word metabolism is often used interchangeably with metabolic rate, or the amount of calories you burn.

The higher it is, the more calories you burn and the easier it is to lose weight and keep it off.

Having a high metabolism can also give you energy and make you feel better.

Here are 10 easy ways to increase your metabolism.

1. Eat Plenty of Protein at Every Meal

Eating food can increase your metabolism for a few hours.

This is called the thermic effect of food (TEF). It’s caused by the extra calories required to digest, absorb and process the nutrients in your meal.

Protein causes the largest rise in TEF. It increases your metabolic rate by 15–30%, compared to 5–10% for carbs and 0–3% for fats.

Eating protein has also been shown to help you feel more full and prevent you from overeating.

One small study found that people were likely to eat around 441 fewer calories per day when protein made up 30% of their diet.

Eating more protein can also reduce the drop in metabolism often associated with losing fat. This is because it helps prevent you from losing muscle, a common side effect of dieting.

BOTTOM LINE:Eating more protein can boost your metabolism so that you burn more calories. It can also help you eat less.

2. Drink More Cold Water

People who drink water instead of sugary drinks are more successful at losing weight and keeping it off.

This is because sugary drinks contain calories, so replacing them with water automatically reduces your calorie intake.

However, drinking water may also speed up your metabolism temporarily.

Studies have shown that drinking 17 oz (0.5 liters) of water increases resting metabolism by 10–30% for about an hour.

This calorie-burning effect may be even greater if you drink cold water, as your body uses energy to heat it up to body temperature.

Water can also help fill you up. Studies show that drinking water a half an hour before you eat can help you eat less.

One study of overweight adults found that those who drank half a liter of water before their meals lost 44% more weight than those who didn’t.

BOTTOM LINE:Water can help you lose weight and keep it off. It increases your metabolism and helps fill you up before meals.

3. Do a High-Intensity Workout

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) involves quick and very intense bursts of activity.

It can help you burn more fat by increasing your metabolic rate, even after your workout has finished.

This effect is believed to be greater for HIIT than for other types of exercise. What’s more, HIIT has also been shown to help you burn fat.

One study in overweight young men found that 12 weeks of high-intensity exercise reduced fat mass by 4.4 lbs (2 kg) and belly fat by 17%.

BOTTOM LINE:Mixing up your exercise routine, and adding in a few high-intensity workouts, can boost your metabolism and help you burn fat.

4. Lift Heavy Things

Muscle is more metabolically active than fat, and building muscle can help increase your metabolism.

This means you will burn more calories each day, even at rest.

Lifting weights will also help you retain muscle and combat the drop in metabolism that can occur during weight loss.

In one study, 48 overweight women were placed on a diet of 800 calories per day, along with either no exercise, aerobic exercise or resistance training.

After the diet, the women who did the resistance training maintained their muscle mass, metabolism and strength. The others lost weight, but also lost muscle mass and experienced a decrease in metabolism.

BOTTOM LINE:Lifting weights is important for building and retaining muscle. Higher amounts of muscle will result in a higher metabolism.

5. Stand up More

Sitting too much is bad for your health.

Some health commentators have even dubbed it “the new smoking.” This is partly because long periods of sitting burn fewer calories and can lead to weight gain.

In fact, compared with sitting, an afternoon of standing up at work can burn an extra 174 calories. If you have a desk job, try standing up for short periods to break up the length of time you spend sitting down. You can also invest in a standing desk.

BOTTOM LINE:Sitting for a long time burns few calories and is bad for your health. Try to stand up regularly or invest in a standing desk.

6. Drink Green Tea or Oolong Tea

Green tea and oolong tea have been shown to increase metabolism by 4–5%.

These teas help convert some of the fat stored in your body into free fatty acids, which may increase fat burning by 10–17%.

As they are low in calories, drinking these teas may be good for both weight loss and weight maintenance.

It’s thought their metabolism-boosting properties may help prevent the dreaded weight loss plateau that occurs due to a decrease in metabolism.

However, some studies find that these teas do not affect metabolism. Therefore, their effect may be small or only apply to some people.

BOTTOM LINE:Drinking green tea or oolong tea can increase your metabolism. These teas may also help you lose weight and keep it off.

7. Eat Spicy Foods

Peppers contain capsaicin, a substance that can boost your metabolism.

However, many people can’t tolerate these spices at the doses required to have a significant effect.

One study of capsaicin, at acceptable doses, predicted that eating peppers would burn around 10 additional calories per meal. Over 6.5 years, this could account for 1 lb (0.5 kg) of weight loss for an average-weight male.

Alone, the effects of adding spices to your food may be quite small. However, it may be slightly useful when combined with other metabolism-boosting strategies.

BOTTOM LINE:Eating spicy food could be beneficial for boosting your metabolism and help you maintain a healthy weight.

8. Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Lack of sleep is linked to a major increase in the risk of obesity.

This may partly be caused by the negative effects of sleep deprivation on metabolism.

Lack of sleep has also been linked with increased blood sugar levels and insulin resistance, which are both linked to a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

It’s also been shown to boost the hunger hormone ghrelin, and decrease the fullness hormone.

This could explain why many people who are sleep deprived feel hungry and struggle to lose weight.

BOTTOM LINE:Lack of sleep can decrease the amount of calories you burn, change the way you process sugar and disrupt your appetite-regulating hormones.

9. Drink Coffee

Studies have shown that the caffeine in coffee can boost metabolism by 3–11%. Like green tea, it also promotes fat burning.

However, this seems to affect lean people more. In one study, coffee increased fat burning by 29% for lean women, but only 10% for obese women.

Coffee’s effects on metabolism and fat burning may also contribute to successful weight loss and maintenance.

BOTTOM LINE:Drinking coffee can significantly increase your metabolism and help you lose weight.

10. Replace Cooking Fats with Coconut Oil

Unlike other saturated fats, coconut oil contains a lot of medium-chain fats.

Medium-chain fats can increase your metabolism more than the long-chain fats found in foods like.

In one study, researchers found that medium-chain fats increased metabolism by 12%, compared to long-chain fats, which raised it by just 4%.

Due to the unique fatty acid profile of coconut oil, replacing some of your other cooking fats with it may have modest benefits for weight loss.

BOTTOM LINE:Replacing other cooking fats with coconut oil may help boost your metabolism slightly.

Take Home Message

Making small lifestyle changes and incorporating these tips into your routine can increase your metabolism.

Having a higher metabolism can help you lose weight and keep it off, while giving you more energy.

Other ways to manipulate metabolism

“I have a fast metabolism; I can eat and eat and stay skinny.” Most of us have heard someone say this, and a majority of us have responded with annoyance and envy. But what is metabolism, and can we make ours run a bit faster? Taylor Newhouse, a registered dietitian with the Texas A&M School of Public Health, helps break down what you should know about your metabolism.

What is metabolism?

Your metabolism isn’t just what keeps your bragging friend lean, it’s the constant process that your body is using to keep everything functioning. Your metabolism is always running, even when you’re sleeping.

“Your metabolism is kind of the engine that keeps your body going,” Newhouse said. “It’s the drive that allows your body to utilize the food and nutrients you put into it.”

Some people do have faster metabolism than others, and that is the work of genetics and someone’s lifestyle. Although there’s nothing you can do about your genetics, there are ways to impact the lifestyle side and give your metabolism a boost to keep it running in high gear.

How can you improve your metabolism?

Because the metabolism’s base rate is set by genetics, there’s no quick way to rev it up; it cannot be changed without making some long-term lifestyle changes.

“We can manipulate our metabolism to a degree,” Newhouse said. “It’s like a campfire: just like we need to give a fire tinder and pieces of wood in order to keep it from slowing down and burning out, we need to fuel our metabolism as well.”

If you’re looking to boost your metabolism, then there are a few changes you can make throughout the day. Working out, hydrating and eating right can help with your overall health, but there are also specific habits you can foster in order to give it a boost.

“Eating your leafy vegetables and working out can definitely help your metabolism,” Newhouse said. “Muscle burns more energy than fat, so lifting weights or anything else that builds muscle — along with eating correctly — can play a large role in how our body processes nutrients.”

Apart from getting in more muscle-building workouts and eating better, another important habit to kick your metabolism into gear is not ignoring the most important meal of the day: breakfast.

“People tend to overlook how important breakfast is,” Newhouse said. “We go all night without food, and our body can approach a fasting state, an episode where our body will withhold calories, if we wait too long to eat after waking up.”

What can slow your metabolism?

If it’s possible to speed up your metabolism, then it’s equally possible — and far easier — to slow it down. There are many habits that are easy to fall into that can make your metabolism run at a slower pace. One of these happens in the late hours of night, and involves what you’re not doing: getting enough shut-eye.

Sleep deprivation is one of the biggest epidemics in American society, with more than one-third of adults getting less than the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep each night. Sleep is not only crucial for your metabolism, but skimping on sleep can also lead to long-term conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.

“Sleep is one of the biggest factors that people seem to forget about,” Newhouse said. “Even if someone eats well and exercises, if they don’t get adequate sleep, then their metabolism won’t run as efficiently.”

Although snacks often have a bad reputation for being unhealthy, they are very important to keep you fueled and nourish your body throughout the day. Snacks should have some protein, fiber and carbohydrates and should not have too much salt or sodium.

“Eating snacks won’t slow down your metabolism if you’re eating the right foods,” Newhouse said. “Healthy snacks — such as nuts, fruit or vegetables — have the nutrients to slow the rate of digestion, keep you feeling fuller longer and keep your body working to process the nutrients.”

Stress can also indirectly lead to problems with your metabolism. People with high amounts of cortisol, a stress hormone, tend to be overweight, and being overweight can slow your metabolism. Lowering your cortisol levels can start a chain-reaction that can help your metabolism run more efficiently.

What does your metabolism do over time?

Believe it or not, metabolism — just like the rest of our body — goes through the aging process. As your metabolism slows, your continuous diet and exercise choices become more important.

While the cause for this is unclear, women entering menopause will experience a slower metabolism and can find it more difficult to stay at a healthy weight, which makes diet and exercise vital to healthy aging.

“Nothing changes overnight,” Newhouse said. “It’s a matter of making the small choices that can add up to try and negate the effects that are naturally slowing down your metabolism.”

If you’re worried about how your metabolism is affecting your lifestyle, contact your health care provider or sit down with a registered dietician to set up a plan for a healthier daily life.

So everyone, fire-up that metabolism and train hard!

Cheers…

Gert Louw

Gert METABOLISM

reference

http://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-ways-to-boost-metabolism#section1
Texas A&M University. “Metabolism: What is it and can it be controlled?.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 19 October 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161019154842.htm>.

Comment

DUDE talk

Filed under: DUDE Talk — 1 Comment

August 23, 2017

Click here to watch video “DUDE talk”

Click here to watch the video “DT – Human Flesh, Sangomas and the ANC”

To all my friends, followers and subscribers…DUDE TALK is a video series where I chat about guy stuff and anything and everything, interacting with my website, Facebook and YouTube friends and followers. So if there is anything (fitness or otherwise) that you want me to chat about, just leave a comment and I will cover it in an upcoming video. If you want your name and photo included in the video (as reference to who posted the topic) just add your pic in the comment or email to me (gertlouwljc@hotmail.com) and you will featured in the video.

Have a great day all!

Remember to train hard!

Gert Louw

Gert Louw PUNCHING BAG2.jpg

Tags: africa, beer, cancer, cars, celebrities, challenges, christian, cycling, dreams, dude, Eating, energy, exercise, experiment, failure, faith, family, fit, food, gay, guy, Health, inspiration, internet, life, lifestyle, love, man cave, marriage, Medicine, middle-age, msm, muscle, nutrition, politics, Products, research, science, sex, Shopping, success, surfing, survival, teaching, thoughts, training, web, Weight loss, women, work, workout

Comment

Blog Stats
- 987,430 hits
Help keep the site free!
Email Subscription

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 5,930 other followers
Gert’s YOUTUBE videos
PLAY Gert's Youtube videos
Music Player
MY SECRETS
Boys without Fathers
Site teaching boys the wisdom about life the way a father teaches his son.
Top Posts & Pages
Gert Louw’s facebook FAN page

Gert Louw’s facebook FAN page
ARCHIVE
ARCHIVE

Categories in blog

Tag Archive: Health

Share this:

Like this:

First Tier attack – lifestyle changes.

Second Tier attack – supplements

Third Tier attack – TRT

Share this:

Like this:

The rules for the GRAND FIGHT:

Share this:

Like this:

Want my training and diet approach customised for you? You can signup here: https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/

Share this:

Like this:

Attack Tier ONE

Attack Tier TWO

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

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF PBC 157

1. Repairs The Brain

2. Protects Against Drug-Induced Damage

3. Restores The Serotogenic Transport System

4. Protects Dopaminergic System

5. Enhances The GABAergic System

6. Reverses Opioid Tolerance

7. Protects The Heart

8. Accelerates Body Repair

9. Helps With Allergies And Viruses

10. May Help Irritable Bowel Disease

11. Helps With Ocular Dysfunction

12. May Help Oral Cavity

13. May Help With Urinary Incontinence

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

NUMBER ONE – Accept that there is no magic pill!

NUMBER TWO – Accept that many roads lead to Rome.

NUMBER THREE – does your mentor have a moral center?

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

First level of attack.

Second level of attack.

Third level of attack.

BLUE PILL REPLACEMENT STACK

Share this:

Like this:

TRAINING

LIFESTYLE

EATING

SUPPLEMENTS (natural)

MEDICATION

Share this:

Like this:

First let’s look at the reason for your off-time from training

Now the next step

So let’s look at how to determine if your body is at all fit/healthy enough to resume training

Slowly start training

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

The same following rules apply to both diets:

For the CUTTING DIET you do it as follows:

For the BUILDING DIET you do it as follows:

THE CUTTING DIET

THE BUILDING DIET

Share this:

Like this:

Most of us know that the key to controlling fat-loss lies in our bodies metabolic rate.

TEN Easy Ways to Boost Your Metabolism (Backed by Science)

1. Eat Plenty of Protein at Every Meal

2. Drink More Cold Water

3. Do a High-Intensity Workout

5. Stand up More

6. Drink Green Tea or Oolong Tea

7. Eat Spicy Foods

8. Get a Good Night’s Sleep