By Brandon Cook

“Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back.” - Harvey MacKay

“Everything you now do is something you have chosen to do. Some people don’t want to believe that. But if you’re over age twenty-one, your life is what you’re making of it. To change your life, you need to change your priorities.” -John C. Maxwell

Well, we’re two weeks into the New Year 2010. For many people the motivation has started to fade to black. Their new habits are beginning to seem like false hopes, while their old habits are beckoning them back into the shadows and comforts of their former selves.

In another week they’ll be dropping like flies from gyms around the nation…. as Metallica used to scream “Sad but true.” (more…)

“If you focus on being successful you will be and you are already one step closer to becoming the person you really want to be.” –Vince Delmonte

“Tomorrow does not exist. It is not promised and it is not guaranteed. Tomorrow only exists in the minds of dreamers and procrastinators.” –Vince Delmonte

That’s right, Vince Delmonte just turned “The Dirty Thirty” as he likes to call it. To celebrate it he’s “getting wild and crazy” and having a  Four Day Blow Out sale on his 9 disc DVD series. Although, I’m a little late getting this posted, so it’s more like a Three Day Blow Out Sale!

I’m not here to try to sell you on it, this deal sells itself. I’m only a messenger and a satisfied customer who owns and uses Vince’s products. I’m also here to motivate you to get off the fence and take charge of your life once and for all. (more…)

By Brandon Cook

“In every adversity there lies the seed of an equivalent advantage. In every defeat is a lesson showing you how to win the victory next time.”
-Robert Collier

“The only use of an obstacle is to be overcome. All that an obstacle does with brave men is, not frighten them, but to challenge them.”
-Woodrow Wilson
In Body Transformation Part I, we peered through a window into my past to get a better understanding of the challenges and adversity I experienced early on. It was these trials that eventually led me to training, and the desire to transform my body and my life.

We will all face the heaviness of life at some point or another. The question is will we learn to grow, adapt, and overcome it or collapse under its pressure? (more…)

By Brandon Cook

“I’ve come to believe that all my past failure and frustration were actually laying the foundation for the understandings that have created the new level of living I now enjoy.”
–Tony Robbins 
 

“Study the past, if you would divine the future.”
–Confucius

 
First of all, I would like to thank all of you who have been following along on the blog and who have signed up for The Way to Mass E-class. Cory and I have been working hard to provide you with quality information from our own experiences, as well as, from the experiences of some of the top physique transformation coaches in the world.

In our effort to do JUST THAT we’ve decided to make some changes in our approach. I’m going to be making some changes to the blog (for starters) that I think will be an improvement over the way I’ve been posting. (more…)

By Brandon Cook

“Learning is a behavior change- if your behavior doesn’t change- you did not learn.” -Bedros Keuilian

“Courage is the ability to act on limited knowledge.”
-Bedros Keuilian

Wow! What a great trip to Orlando, Florida this week. I’m still buzzing and high from being surrounded with so many like-minded and successful personal trainers and entreprenuers.

Before I give you the #1 tip I learned, let me tell you about this weekend. (more…)

By Brandon Cook

“When you want something,
all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
         – Paulo Coelho

“We can change our lives. We can do, have, and be exactly what we wish.”
              – Anthony Robbins

We have reached a point where I would like to discuss the law of attraction. I’ve mentioned this in earlier blogs and even touched on the basics of universal law. Now we are going to expand upon this because I believe it holds a vital solution for achieving body and life transformation.

The people who are successful in life achieve their success because they harness the power of this law whether they realize it or not. That is not to say that they did nothing to earn their success! I’m sure they did. (more…)

By Brandon Cook

Enough said!?!?!

Whoa, wait a minute buddy, let’s discuss this topic a lil’ more in depth! (more…)

By Brandon Cook

“The narrow waist and tiny joints are actually a blessing, as it will make every pound of muscle on your body look like three pounds. Often slender-boned bodybuilders of 190 pounds are mistaken for 220 pounds or more due to this illusion.” - Ron Harris

As a hardgainer, you should understand that your genetic capacity for muscle growth is not quite on the same level as those lucky, genetically gifted mesomorphs, who can put on muscle just by thinking about bench pressing! Okay maybe I’m exaggerating a little bit, but not too far from the truth.

You’re going to have to train smarter, be more disciplined, and have the perseverance to overcome the genetic shortcomings of the ectomorph body type you’ve been endowed with.

Especially, if you are training naturally… which is the ONLY way I recommend!

That being said, you should have no fear… even as an ectomorph you can build muscle and develop an impressive physique. Just take a look at Frank Zane, a 3 time Mr. Olympia who trained in the same era with Arnold Schwarzenegger. In fact, Frank is one of only 3 people to ever defeat Arnold in a bodybuilding contest!

Frank Zane stands at 5’9″ and typically competed at 185lbs naturally. However he was quoted as saying that he has won shows both naturally and with steroids.

If so he was probably using lower doses of steroids (remember this is at a time when you could get them legally from your doctor.) Frank has stepped on stage at a ripped 195lbs during bodybuilding competitions and the extra 10lbs could be from drugs. Although maybe not… Only Frank knows for sure.

Even though he may have used some steroids to achieve his Olympia shredded physique, I want you to realize that he is mostly natural and wasn’t using steroids at anywhere near the same capacity as the pro bodybuilder’s of today do.

To me, Frank represents the full genetic potential of an ectomorph. His body type in this picture would now be considered an Ecto-mesomorph because of all the muscle mass he has added. Also, take notice of his smaller frame, thin wrists and ankles. These are classic traits of the ectomorph as you are about to learn.

Now, if I’m losing you with all the ecto- meso- “morph” terminology, then this article should bring you up to speed. (more…)

By Brandon Cook

One of the most amazing things about making a true commitment to transforming your weak, scrawny framed body into the strong, ripped, muscular version of your ideal self is the impact that this journey will have on your entire life. For the better I might add.

Nothing we do, say, or think in this world acts in isolation from the rest of our life situation. Everything is connected and intertwined and has a ripple effect that moves outward into other areas of our life and even further beyond the boundaries of our own lives.

For example if you begin by making simple changes to your diet in an effort to eat healthier, more nutritious and muscle-building foods, this change will also effect: the way you feel (i.e. your emotional state), your daily energy levels (i.e. your vitality), your interaction with others (i.e. your relationships), your ability to work, focus, and get things done (i.e. your career) and so on. (more…)