New eBook Unveils the Secrets for Getting Totally Shredded!

I'm excited to announce the much anticipated release of my "Lost Logs" eBook is finally here.

I believe this is the ultimate drug free bodybuilding nutrition resource. It’s a very rare look at the actual “play book” I used to become one the greatest drug free bodybuilders in history and now this eBook puts it all at your fingertips to help you construct your own winning game plan!

My "Lost Logs" contains explicit detail documenting every single nutrient I ingested as well as the timing of each meal. It also lists every supplement, exactly how much and specifically when I took them for the 18 weeks leading up to both contests.

In addition to all that detail you’ll see complete nutrient ratio breakdowns for every stage of the plan and as an interesting point of reference there is documentation of my bodyweight changes over the 18 weeks.

I often get asked how to adjust nutrition in the final days before a contest and what to do on the actual day of the show. No need to question any more as these logs illustrate exactly what I did with my plan right up to the very moment I stepped onstage.

My "Lost Logs" is also packed with some bonus information you won't find anywhere else:

*Contest Color Schedule - Any of you who have competed know how important onstage color is. It can make or break your physique. It took me years to perfect my contest color and now with this schedule you can see exactly what I did to achieve the perfect winning tan.

*Lost Cardio Logs - See record of all my cardio sessions from January 2002 through my Team Universe Overall Victory in August of 2003. Frequency, mode, distance, calories burned and intensity are all there in minute detail. This is the exact Max-OT cardio schedule I executed to get absolutely shredded.

*Body Weight Chart - View my body weight changes from August 2002 through August 2003.

Don't miss this opportunity to get the championship "play book" in your hands. Act now and get your copy of my "Lost Logs" at a special introductory price.

Believe. Achieve.

http://www.jeffwillet.com/

Posing Tip - Start from the ground up!

I was doing a posing coaching session yesterday with a first time competitor preparing for a contest coming up in August. We went over all the basic relaxed poses and the mandatory poses in great detail. It's amazing how much you can enhance your physique by holding the poses correctly.

One thing all you competitors should keep in mind as you work on your poses is to start each pose from the ground up. Many first time competitors are so focused on their upper bodies they forget about their legs and leave them relaxed and in poor positions. If you get in the habit of starting from the ground up you won't forget and your poses will all be complete from head to toe!

I go over this along with lots of great posing and presentation tips in my DVD "Posing to Win". I also offer 1/2 hour posing coaching sessions at my gym in Michigan for those interested in one on one assistance.

After you spend all those months dieting you should make sure you are presenting your physique to the best of your abilities when you hit the stage. Posing and overall presentation can be the difference between first and second place so don’t leave this important aspect of competition to chance.

Believe. Achieve.

www.jeffwillet.com

Limiting Mindset

It always amazes me how so many people box themselves into mediocrity by having a limited mindset on what they believe is possible. If you believe something is not possible then you are correct, it is not possible. However, if you believe you can do it that opens up the possibility that you CAN achieve it. If you don't believe you can forget about achieving it and that is the origin of my slogan "Believe. Achieve."

If I would have listened to all of the people who told me it was not possible to build an IFBB pro caliber physique without using drugs I would have been defeated long before I set foot on any stage. I believed I could do it and that was my first step to accomplishing such a lofty and "unbelievable" achievement. I could have had the same genetic potential but had a totally different career if my mindset would have been limited.

It was more than 10 years ago when I decided the NPC Team Universe was going to be my path towards an IFBB pro card. In order to reach that goal I knew I would have to compete with the likes of the greatest drug free bodybuilders of all time. Two of whom I really admired were Skip La Cour and Chris Faildo. They were both competing in the Team Universe and both dominating their weight classes. They inspired me because I knew if they could develop those high caliber physiques drug free than I could do it too.

Skip and Chris were better than me at the time and so were many of the other guys at that level. That was very evident in 1997 when I first competed in the Team Universe and took 9th in my class. Same in 1998 when I took 9th again. Rather than looking at the top guys like Skip and Chris and saying, "they are better than me so they must be cheating" I didn't make any excuses and I didn't have a limiting mindset. Instead I sought out Skip so I could learn from someone who was better than I was.

Fast forward to 2003 and there I was in the overall against both Skip and Chris which was a big honor for me. These were two guys I had looked up to and was inspired by and now I was toe to toe with them battling for an IFBB pro card. What a rush!

So you can see the point perfectly illustrated in my own life story. If I would have taken on a limiting mindset of what I believed to be possible I would never have reached the brass ring. I chose to be inspired and educated by those who were more accomplished then me and I worked my tail off to maximize my own potential.

We all have the same choice. Which mindset do you choose?

Believe. Achieve.

http://www.jeffwillet.com/

My Favorite Sources for Protein Consumption

Throughout my career I consumed most of my daily protein through supplementation and I continue this practice today. (My favorite protein supplement choices are VP2, Muscle XGF and VyoPro Protein Bars).

I've always preferred getting most of my protein through supplement sources for 3 main reasons: quality, convenience and ease of measuring nutrient totals.

This is not to say that one can't get more daily protein through food sources this is simply what has always made the most sense and worked best for me. The main thing is that your nutrient total goals are met at the end of the day regardless of the sources you choose.

Before you stop and say the only reason I do or say this is because I'm sponsored by AST Sports Science, I say "know your facts before you accuse me of simply being a marketing tool for AST." Long before I became sponsored by AST Sports Science in 1999 I paid for all my supplements out of my own pocket for many years and I still followed the same type of pattern of getting most of my daily protein through supplementation. I always have practiced exactly what I preach and have never appreciated the insinuation that I lie about what I do to sell products.

I was recently asked if I thought the inclusion of so many meals through supplementation was a healthy way to go about it and I absolutely think it is as long as you add extra fiber in your diet with the inclusion of lots of green crunchy vegetables.

Believe. Achieve.

http://www.jeffwillet.com/

Don't Over-complicate the Process

The muscle building process is actually pretty simple. When I say that, I am not talking about the effort required to execute the process, just the basic formula which can be summed up as stimulus and response. Muscle is best stimulated to grow by being placed under heavy mechanical tension (overload) and responds to that stimulus by building bigger stronger muscles through proper recovery.

It’s almost like some people feel a need to make it harder than that. So they over-examine things, dissect the minor details and look for the hidden strategies. In the process of scouring particulars they miss the bigger picture. Like Paul Delia once told me, “They are missing the dollars to pick up the pennies.” That has been a favorite saying of mine ever since.

For instance, some people ask me questions about weight selection. They say they are confused and don’t know exactly when to increase weight or what percent to increase it by. Rather than making it difficult, simply use the 4-6 rep range as your guide. If you can get 6 reps on your own then increase weight by the smallest increment you can. It doesn’t have to be a perfect science as long as you progressively work to use more weights while staying in the 4-6 rep range with good control and execution.

If you over analyze the process you are wasting energy and causing yourself unnecessary confusion. The principles are pretty clear cut and spelled out simply throughout the Max-OT course. And above it all, the underlying key to your success is the consistent hard work you do while executing those basic principles.

You can basically break the muscle building process down to a few major points:

*Train heavy with the Max-OT principles.
*Follow a good nutrition schedule daily.
*Practice smart post workout nutrient/supplement selection and timing.
*Train with Intensity.
*Execute the program consistently.

Don’t over complicate the process rather channel your efforts towards executing the plan to the best of your ability each and every day.

Believe. Achieve.

http://www.jeffwillet.com/

"Off Season" Cardio

There’s not a doubt in my mind that Max-OT style cardio (short duration/high intensity) is the most effective way to approach cardiovascular exercise based on research and my own personal experience. Max-OT cardio played a very big role in achieving the best condition of my life when I won my IFBB pro card at the Team Universe.

One fairly common question I get is about cardio in the "off season." First I'd like to say I don't really like the term "off season" as there really is no such thing, especially for a drug free bodybuilder. I prefer to look at the training year in phases as they relate to a contest date. You have a maximum muscle building phase where you are gearing things towards gaining fat free mass as your primary goal and as you enter the pre-contest time frame (for me that's about 6 months prior to a show) you gradually shift your plan to emphasize maximum fat burning. Or as I like to say you shift the pendulum from maximum muscle building to maximum fat burning.

(The photo to the right illustrates my "off season" condition 15 weeks out from a contest. I did more cardio during that maximum muscle building phase then ever before and really emphasized staying in good condition all year. The additional cardio didn't hurt my muscle building phase as I was a very solid 227 lbs.)

Obviously the primary goal in a maximum muscle building phase is exactly as the name implies - build maximum muscle, so why do cardio you may ask? One big reason is during your quest to pack on mass you also want to keep body fat levels in check and that’s where Max-OT cardio fits into the equation. You don't want to gain weight just for the sake of gaining weight if a large percentage of the gain is from fat and not muscle. The more fat you gain, the more fat you will have to lose to be shredded on stage.

I hear some people say they steer clear of cardio in the off season because they don’t want to disrupt the muscle building process in any way but with Max-OT cardio that doesn’t need to be a concern. The short duration and intense nature of Max-OT cardio has very little if any negative impact on the muscle building process. In fact, after Max-OT cardio you create a period of potential increased nutrient uptake similar to after intense weight training so it can be anabolic in that sense.

Cardio should remain a part of your schedule all year and is a training variable you adjust depending on your specific emphasis at any point and time. If you are in a maximum muscle building phase I recommend 2-3 sessions per week and you increase the number of sessions from there as you start to shift your emphasis towards maximum fat burning.

Aside from keeping body fat levels in check, Max-OT cardio also provides important cardiovascular health and endurance benefits and that’s another reason I feel Max-OT cardio should remain a part of your plan all year.

The maximum muscle building phase is not an excuse to get fat so don't forget to keep a spot open for Max-OT cardio in your "off season" training plan.

Believe. Achieve.

http://www.jeffwillet.com/

Great Podcast Interview

I was recently the special guest on BEYOND DIET Podcast and had a very interesting interview that is now available.

We touched on a variety of topics including Max-OT principles and my basic nutrition philosophy. We also got into some personal stuff as I discuss my bodybuilding origins, the decision to remain drug free and I share some special advice for those who want to achieve an outstanding drug free physique.

Check it out for lots of great information and stay tuned for the entire broadcast to hear about an exclusive offer just for BEYOND DIET listeners!

Believe. Achieve.

http://www.jeffwillet.com/

Progressive Overload, Progressive Gains

You’ve heard me say many times that progressive overload with the Max-OT principles is the key to continual muscle gains but how much weight should you add and when should you add it? There’s no magical formula but there are a few guidelines you can follow to keep each workout heading in a maximum muscle building direction.

I’ve found it helpful to establish individual daily goals of bettering my numbers each workout. I try to increase the weight or get more reps (in the 4-6 rep range) with the weight I left off with the previous week. These individual workout goals give me concrete objectives to accomplish and help me assess the success of each workout.

A fairly common question I get is when to increase weights. A simple rule of thumb is when you can get six reps on your own with good form and execution it is time to increase. If you let the rep range be your guide, you’ll be in good shape. Don’t get ahead of yourself and add weight if you can’t complete 6 reps on your own.

If you are doing two or three sets of an exercise you don’t have to get six reps on all sets before you increase. When you get six reps on the first set go ahead and increase for the remaining sets. Remember, more overload equals greater muscle growth stimulation so ideally you should be at the lower end of the rep range on your latter sets.

When you increase weight I recommend moving up with the smallest increments possible. Small increases add up over time and are a more favorable approach for encouraging progressive strength gains.

You don’t have to make monumental changes each workout to ensure continual progress. Modest daily goals of bettering your numbers will keep you moving steadily forward.

Believe. Achieve.

www.jeffwillet.com

Forced Reps – To do, or not to do?

You’re pounding out an intense set of bench presses and you’re just about at your limit. You want to pack on as much mass as possible and nothing is going to stand in your way. You’re not about to stop the set so you grunt to your partner, “two more” because you know those extra two forced reps with help are what separates the men from the boys and will ignite crazy new muscle growth, right? Wrong!

Upon first glance forced reps may seem like a good idea. I mean forced reps allow you to get more reps with more weight….or do they?

If you really think about what a forced rep is, you’ll realize it is a rep with less total overload. There is less overload because your partner is assisting with the lift thus making the load lighter. For all intents and purposes finishing your set with one or two forced reps is like ending with lighter weight. This is not ideal because less overload equals less muscle growth stimulation.

Also, forced reps prematurely fatigue your muscles because you end up doing one or two reps beyond positive failure (which is the point at where you can’t complete any more reps on your own) with a lighter weight. Muscle fatigue decreases the amount of overload or weight you can use on your remaining sets and is another reason forced reps should be avoided.

Here’s another thing to consider. If you are getting help on the last rep, it makes it harder to know when to increase weights because you are not truly getting those reps on your own. If you are getting 6 reps with no help at all you know it is time to increase weight, no questions asked. Stopping at positive failure will give you a much more accurate gauge of strength increases.

I trained with forced reps for many years before finding Max-OT. After I adopted the Max-OT principles I admit it was a hard habit to break. Stopping at positive failure was something I had to learn and a skill it took me a few years to refine.

My best advice on this subject is get in the habit of stopping at positive failure with at most taking a little help to complete the final rep of a set and no more.

Believe. Achieve.

http://www.jeffwillet.com/
http://www.iwanttolooklikethatguy.com/

Drug Free Muscle Building Tip - Choose your plan wisely!

So, have you looked at the latest and greatest routine from your favorite muscle building magazine lately? Maybe one guaranteed to put and extra inch on your biceps in record time?

You need to be careful before you embark on any of these “advanced” workouts and consider the fact that the people advising these routines may not be the best sources of information for you to follow.

If you are a natural bodybuilder and are training without the use of performance enhancing drugs you must train smart and for the most part that means ignoring the training advice in the popular magazines. Reader beware!

Often times the workouts prescribed by the popular press are less than ideal from a muscle building standpoint for the drug free bodybuilder. The workouts typically consist of too many sets, isolation exercises, super sets or other “advanced” principles which will catapult you straight into muscle fatigue and keep you spinning your wheels in the land of stagnant results.

Your best bet is to make sure you are learning from sources that are relevant to drug free bodybuilding. That means modeling your approach after proven methods that top natural bodybuilders have used to achieve great success.

When I first started bodybuilding some 20 years ago I made the same mistakes that most people do. I learned largely from the popular magazines until I found AST Sports Science and Max-OT. The good news for you is you don’t have to waste your time sifting through all the B.S. to try and find a sound program that will truly maximize drug free results. The answer is already right in front of you.

Max-OT is the proven method that I've used for more than 10 years and has been critical to my success. I've advised countless people to use Max-OT and all with great results. You can see an awesome visual example of what these principles (training, cardio and nutrition) can do in the documentary "I Want to Look Like That Guy."

Unfortunately drug use is a sad reality of the sport especially at the top levels. I am not writing this to preach but rather to shed some light on the situation and remind you to be aware and make sure the advice you are following is relevant to drug free training.

Believe. Achieve.

http://www.jeffwillet.com/
http://www.iwanttolooklikethatguy.com/

Form: Work with your natural biomechanics

I often get asked about proper exercise form and commonly the exercises in question are curling movements. Here's my take.

Contrary to popular belief, you should not remain super strict with your motion when doing barbell or dumbbell curls. You should allow your body to move naturally thereby working with your biomechanics rather than fighting them. Working with some natural movement you'll enable you to handle more weight and handle it safer by not adding undue stress to your joints.

Don't confuse biomechanically optimized or "loose" form with sloppy form. It is quite the opposite. You are still controlling the weight throughout the movement rather than jerking or throwing it.

It is difficult to write about form and much easier to understand if you see it. Biomechanically optimized form is illustrated in my series of training DVD's along with a detailed explanation of all the important Max-OT principles.

Believe. Achieve.

http://www.jeffwillet.com/
http://www.iwanttolooklikethatguy.com/

Overload is more important than variety.

I don't believe in the idea that you need to confuse your body with different exercises on a regular basis in order to get continual results. As long as the overload is progressively increased over time, your muscles will keep being triggered to respond to the heavier weights they are subjected to. I use myself as a prime example. I've done the same basic exercises for years on end and achieved great results because I continually challenged myself with progressive overload and high intensity.

If you like to change your routines and exercises for mental freshness, that is fine but don't do it under the idea that physiologically you need to "shock" your body. I recommend taking a week off training after every 8-10 weeks and when you start back that is a good time to change things up. Again, this change is more for mental freshness.

My best advice on this subject is stick with basic compound lifts for your exercise selections and work on progressively improving your numbers each workout. When you hit 6 reps with good execution you need to add more weight. Simple as that! If you follow this method you don't need to worry about "shocking" your muscles.

Believe. Achieve.

http://www.jeffwillet.com/
http://www.iwanttolooklikethatguy.com/

Lagging Body Parts

I was recently asked if I could address the issue of bringing up lagging body parts. This is a pretty common question and here's my take on it.

It is inevitable that you will have some body parts that seem to respond quicker than others. Following a smart plan like Max-OT will naturally improve overall balance.

Max-OT training places an emphasis on basic compound movements. The nature of these free weight compound movements have a lot of overall body involvement and thus improve the balance of your development over time.

If you've been at it for a while and still have lagging body parts you can do like I did and prioritze your training week to attack those body parts first when you are mentally and physically freshest.

The last couple years of competing I emphasized my back. I felt that was a weak area so I prioritzed it by training it early in the week. I also made basic compound movements like deadlifts and barbell rows the primary exercises of my back routines. And I really focused on the exercise execution to make sure I was directing the majority of the overload to the intended area.

Avoid the instinct to increase frequency for lagging body parts. That will actually be counter productive because you run the risk of over training the area. Don't focus on more frequency, rather focus on more intensity and better execution for the body parts in question.

In summary to address lagging body parts don't do more just do everything better! More focus, more intensity and greater execution!

Believe. Achieve.

http://www.jeffwillet.com/
http://www.iwanttolooklikethatguy.com/

Attitude is Everything!

When you are striving to achieve a goal your attitude is so important. No matter how motivated you are, you won't always feel like doing everything on your schedule. That's just a part of life. It doesn't mean you want your goal any less it just means you are human. You have to direct your thoughts and control your attitude to stay on track and perform each task, each day to the best of your ability. Only then will you fully maximize your potential.

A great attitude is something you need to work on the same way you need to train your muscles. You need to do this every day. I've always found it helpful to use visualization. I connect to the vision of what I want to achieve and this keeps my attitude positive and my motivation high. I know that every task I successfully complete will take me one step closer to achieving my ultimate goal.

Successful people are able to power through the obstacles and are willing to do the tough tasks even when they don't necessarily feel like it. They are able to see the big picture and understand that hard work done consistently day in and day out will lead to accomplishing their goals.

The next time you don't feel like doing a scheduled task, instead of complaining about it, ask yourself if complaining is going to get you closer to achieving your goal OR is executing the task to the best of your ability a better choice? I think the answer is pretty clear.

Believe. Achieve.

http://www.jeffwillet.com/
http://www.iwanttolooklikethatguy.com/

Arm Training: Less is Best!

When training your arms don't over do it. Some of the most common mistakes people make are doing too many sets, too many reps and training arms too frequently.

You need to remember that biceps and triceps get a lot of work all week long when training your back, chest and shoulders so they don't need many direct sets of overload. I recommend 4-5 sets maximum for biceps and the same for triceps. I split these sets up using basic compound exercises and the Max-OT principles.

So when you plan your next arm workout remember to keep the volume low and the intensity high!

Believe. Achieve.

http://www.jeffwillet.com/
http://www.iwanttolooklikethatguy.com/

Drug free muscle building nutrition tip of the day.

Don't fear carbohydrates! Carbohydrates are a necessary part of a smart nutrition plan. You just need to have an understanding of the Glycemic Index Rating of carbohydrates and how to time them most effectively.

All carbohydrates are converted into sugar once ingested and the glycemic index (GI) rating basically measures the rate at which this conversion happens. If a carbohydrate has a low GI rating it is converted slowly and if it has a high GI rating it is converted fast. You want both low and high GI carbs at various times of day.

When you first wake up as well as directly pre and post workout you want high GI carbs. This window for high GI carbs also extends about 3 hours after your workout. During this period of time high GI carbs are preferable.

During non training hours you want to stick with low GI rated carbs, specifically green crunchy vegetables. Vegetables are a perfect selection particularly for those interested in getting leaner.

These are the same basic carb timing principles I used with great success over the years and coach all my clients to use as well.

If you are interested in having a specific nutrition plan set up just for you, contact me about my online coaching service.

Believe. Achieve.

http://www.jeffwillet.com/
http://www.iwanttolooklikethatguy.com/

Forums

I recently joined Bodybuilding.com forums to answer some questions about our documentary "I Want to Look Like That Guy". Here's my shout out to the forum administrators so they know it is me posting and not an impostor!

Believe. Achieve.
http://www.jeffwillet.com/
http://www.iwanttolooklikethatguy.com/

New Training Journal Now Available!

I'm happy to announce that the new and improved "Jeff Willet Training Journal" is now available.

I improved upon the last version by adding 20% more pages for logging your workouts as well as a more durable gold foiled stamped cover for greater longevity.

The journals design is based on exactly how I logged my workouts over the years. I wish I had created this back when I was competing as it is way more convenient than the old notebook I had to use.

I am very happy with how this new journal turned out and think you will be too!

Believe. Achieve.

http://www.jeffwillet.com/
http://www.iwanttolooklikethatguy.com/

New Interview

Thought you might like to check out a recent interview I did for simplyshredded.com.

http://www.simplyshredded.com/ifbb-pro-natural-bodybuilder-jeff-willet-talks-with-simplyshredded-com.html

Believe. Achieve.

http://www.jeffwillet.com/
http://www.iwanttolooklikethatguy.com/

Max-OT Cardio Tips

Remember not to over complicate Max-OT cardio.

The goal of Max-OT style cardio is to work out of your comfort zone for 16-20 minutes. You need to be "huffing and puffing" throughout the session. Simply put, if you complete 16 minutes and it feels easy then you are not working hard enough.

Don't worry too much about what program setting you choose, what machine you are on or how many RPM's you are doing. If you are uncomfortable throughout the session and always striving to beat your distance you will achieve the desired effects of Max-OT style cardio.

Believe. Achieve.

http://www.jeffwillet.com/
http://www.iwanttolooklikethatguy.com/