Vince DelMonte’s Muscle Building Tips and Six Pack Secrets

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The Skinny Cure

By Vince On December 23, 2008 23 Comments

The Cure for Skinny
A Roundtable, featuring Joe DeFranco, Vince DelMonte, and Craig Weller
by Nate Green

Are you afraid of blowing away in a strong gust of wind? Tired of looking in the mirror and seeing vermicelli arms and Tinker Toy legs? Does your little sister ask to borrow your clothes… and threaten to beat you up if you refuse? Do you ever look at the 45-pound plates in the gym and wonder when you’ll be able to use them? Sick of answering questions that remind you of the one subject you try to avoid?

You aren’t alone: Lots of guys share your hypertrophy-averse physiology. Many of them manage to work their way into more mirror-friendly proportions. I’m one of them, and I report to two former skinny bastards who grew up to be Testosterone Muscle editors.

A select few end up as coaches who help guys like us get bigger, stronger, and more athletic. I talked to three of them: Joe DeFranco, a strength coach based in New Jersey who works with elite high school, college, and pro athletes; Vince DelMonte, author of No-Nonsense Muscle Building; and Craig Weller, a trainer based in San Diego and popular Testosterone contributor who’s a former member of the Navy’s elite special-ops forces.

I locked the three of them in a room and wouldn’t let them leave until they filled my tape recorder with nutrition tips, training strategies, and lifestyle adjustments that they’ve used to help themselves and their clients work up to larger shirt sizes.

Testosterone Muscle: Let’s go back to high school. How would I have picked you out of a crowd? What about now?

Craig Weller: I was a 98-pound weakling. I remember being on the eighth grade football team and looking at the roster to find out I weighed less than everyone on the seventh grade team. My dad actually listed my weight on the roster as 105 pounds because I was so damn embarrassed that I wasn’t in the triple digits.

But then I bought a Joe Weider program out of the back of a magazine and started lifting weights. I found better and better sources over time, and when I was a junior in high school I weighed 175 pounds and was deadlifting 405 pounds fairly easily.

I now weigh about 185 pounds, although I’m still recovering from my last trip to Nepal, where I lost about 20 pounds.

Vince DelMonte: I was a lot like Craig, but I actually grew up as a long-distance runner. I ran for the University of Western Ontario for four years, and even represented Canada at the National Triathlon Championship. So if I had any chance of building muscle, I probably made it worse with all that endurance training. At the time, I weighed between 135 and 149 pounds.

During my second year of University, I lived in a house with eight guys. They called me “Skinny Vinnie,” and it stuck. All the girls thought it was cute, which as we all know is the worst possible thing for a girl to call you. So I decided to make a change.

Luckily, one of my professors was none other than John Berardi. My friends and I used to follow him around the gym and copy what he did. We called him “The Bible of Bodybuilding.”

John invited me to a SWIS [Society of Weight-Training Injury Specialists] symposium. I met guys like Charles Poliquin and Ian King, and I decided to be a personal trainer.

Only catch was, I didn’t look like one. I went from 149 to 190 in six months. I now weigh 210.

Joe DeFranco: I was definitely a skinny bastard. I grew tall way too fast. I was 5′11″ and weighed 125 in the eighth grade. My dad used to take me to his hardcore gym with a bunch of ex-cops and military guys and I’d just do what he did. Right now I’m about 225.

But what’s more important is that I’ve helped a ton of high school and college athletes gain huge amounts of muscle too.

TM: Philosophers have been debating this question since the advent of written language, so I’ll put it to you: What’s more important for the naturally skinny kid — training or nutrition?

JD: Nutrition, hands down. Listen, as soon as I get a real skinny high school kid, the first thing I have him do is just start eating a shit-ton of food. That’s obvious, right? But here’s the kicker: We’re not going to be too strict or pissed off if he eats McDonald’s a few times per week.

The overriding factor is that they have to put more calories in their body than they burn off. And for a hard gainer whose genetics are working against him, you can’t just have a caloric surplus of 100 or 200 calories a day. If you’re going to gain some size, you’ll need a lot more.

TM: But McDonald’s?

JD: Only at first. We tell them they can’t eat too much or have too many meals in a day, and eating McDonald’s or whatever will help them get used to eating big every few hours. Is it the best? Not really. But it does teach them to eat big and pack the calories in.

Once they reach a base point, then we put them on a balanced plan where they’ll get 40 percent of their calories from carbs, 30 percent from protein, and 30 percent from fats. Hell, for some of the really skinny guys, we’ll go with a 50-30-20 ratio. And these are all from higher-quality sources.

One of the biggest problems with these skinny guys is they avoid carbs like they’re scared of them. Carbs have gotten such a bad rap over the past few years that it’s absolutely ridiculous. If I take a look at a skinny guy’s food log, I’ll see an omelet for breakfast, a burger for lunch, and three pieces of chicken for dinner. Where the hell are the carbs? All that protein needs to repair the muscle, not supply energy in place of carbs.

In fact one of the biggest things that has led to the most dramatic changes is simply focusing on peri-and post-workout nutrition, and making sure they’re getting some carbs along with some high-quality protein.

TM: Interesting stuff. What do you think, Craig?

CW: I agree about timing. If I have a rough workout, I’ll usually have a full serving of Surge during the workout and another full serving directly after. I’ll then wait 30 minutes and have a high-carb meal, like chicken with a huge pile of brown rice.

TM: What about the idea that skinny guys can get away with eating more junk food, at least for a while?

CW: Maybe Joe’s guys are different. Most skinny guys I know are eating junk food for the hell of it, and aren’t even achieving a caloric surplus. They think they’re eating a lot because they’re chowing down on a lot of high-calorie junk food, but they’re not using these foods as part of an overall system to get bigger. They’re really just damaging their long-term health and their progress in the gym.

TM: So are carbs and protein the only thing we’re concerned about?

CW: I think a lot of guys are skimping on their fats, too. If your fat consumption drops below 80 grams or so a day, then your endocrine system isn’t going to function as well and your testosterone production may drop off significantly.

Personally, I go for about a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, but after I reach that I bulk things up with some healthy fats. It’s always something that’s worked for clients and me. I’ll eat eight whole eggs at a time and take in a lot of avocadoes, cheese, and Flameout.

Another good way of adding in healthy fats and sneaking in more calories is adding coconut milk to shakes. A can of it costs a little over a dollar and usually contains something like 75 grams of fat. I use about one-fourth of a can at a time. And it tastes good. I also eat almond butter with a spoon.

VD: I agree with both of you guys, but I think people should realize that eating a ton of calories without getting the proper vitamins, minerals, and fiber is kind of shooting yourself in the foot. Your body won’t be able to assimilate all that much if you’re not focused on the quality of the food.

So before anyone increases the calories, I think they should look at exactly where all those calories are coming from.

Let’s say a client of mine is eating 3,000 calories a day, and we want him to get up to 3,600. I’m going to have him go back and examine every single meal before we do anything else. I’ll have him look at the little details, like if he could be getting omega-3 eggs instead of normal ones, or if he could eat organic vegetables instead of the ones with all the pesticides. And I think once you make all those changes, then you can increase the actual calories.

TM: That’s an excellent point and one most guys wouldn’t even consider. Let’s talk training for the skinny guys. Kick us off, Vince.

VD: The first thing I want say is that “do what works for you” is some bullshit advice for beginners. It’s like Michael Phelps telling an eight-year-old that if you feel like doing backstrokes today, then do some backstrokes. Guys need a plan. They need a program and guidelines, and they need to know the principles that are going to contribute to the majority of their results. They have to know when to work on technique, strength, endurance, or hypertrophy.

So it’s a bit of a cliché, but I think guys need to find a great program, trust it, and stick to it for at least 12 weeks. Don’t jump around too much. See what you learn about your body during that time and gain some leverage. When you figure out what works for your body, then you can easily tweak the next program you do. A lot of guys are jumping from one program to the next with no new knowledge about how their bodies respond to each stimulus.

JD: I agree completely. Too many guys try so many fucking programs at once, it’s like they have ADD. Most of the programs out there work if you train hard enough. If you’re eating enough and busting your ass, then you’re going to get bigger and stronger if you’ve got a decent plan in place.

But I get a ton of emails where guys tell me they’re doing my “Westside for Skinny Bastards” program but throw in Jim Wendler’s 5-3-1 template and Charles Staley’s EDT combined with some of Thibaudeau’s techniques. I write back and say, “You’re fucked.”

If you combine 20 different great programs, and do them all at once, you’re going to get shitty results. You have to stick to one thing for a while. Give it a solid eight to 12 weeks and I guarantee you’ll get results. In fact, if you were to use the “Skinny Bastards” template and constantly tweak the exercises and set and rep scheme, you could stay on that program the rest of your life.

Vince DelMonte: Right on! But here’s something else to consider: After the guys have followed great programs for a couple of years or so, I think they should have the courage to make their own decisions. A guy should know what applies to his body and what doesn’t, and should have the ability to tweak the program to his needs.

For example, if your back is your weakest muscle group and you know you should be prioritizing it, and you’re following an awesome program from Thibaudeau that says to do chest at the beginning of the week and back on the last day of the week, you should know to change the days around. You don’t need to email or call him and ask if it’s okay. You should know your body better than he does.

TM: Good point. Joe, you’ve written three different versions of “Westside for Skinny Bastards.” Do you still train athletes with that basic template?

JD: It’s evolved over time, but the bulk of the workout is the same. Max-effort training is still the best way to get stronger and look better. I really believe that maximal strength builds the foundation for all the other goals guys have.

But don’t get me wrong — I do high-rep stuff with the skinny guys.

If you take a genetic-freak athlete who’s absolutely jacked and did a muscle biopsy, you’d see a predominance of type IIB muscle fibers. These guys respond very well to max-effort movements. But skinny guys are usually more slow-twitch. Because they’re not as neurologically efficient, they’ll respond better to higher reps — six to 12.

In terms of frequency, three or four times a week is all they need in the gym. If you feel like you could train every day, you’re probably not training correctly. My facility attracts really motivated guys, and I actually have to convince them not to come to the gym on their off days.

CW: I agree with what Joe’s talking about, for sure. I also want to point out that I don’t think a guy’s results are necessarily from a specific method, but rather an internalization and adherence to a few basic principles. Maximal strength, as Joe points out, is huge.

I also don’t think that a skinny guy should worry about single-joint or isolation movements if he only weighs 160 pounds. Your rhomboids or your medial deltoids just don’t merit that much attention when you’re that skinny.

I also think guys need to spend more time on their lower body. Not equal time. More time. With my clients, loading the spine and doing heavy squats and deadlift variations has really caused a tremendous anabolic response.

That’s another reason why my conditioning stuff is usually posterior-chain and lower-body dominant. Even if our equipment is nothing more than a rock on a beach, we’re going to use it to stimulate as much of our bodies as we can. We’re going to move heavy, fast, and frequently. We’re not going to do curls with the rock. We’re going to push-press it, front squat, and throw it overhead as far as we can and then sprint to it.

TM: Wouldn’t conditioning be the last thing on a skinny guy’s mind? Wouldn’t that burn too many calories?

CW: The type of conditioning I do is so dependent on strength that I haven’t seen any muscle loss from it at all. We’re not swimming or jogging here. We’re moving heavy things for a repeated effort and more reps, or we’re doing some intervals. You’re getting a great anabolic response because you’re moving something heavy, loading the spine, and not encouraging your body to become smaller or more efficient.

TM: Joe, I know you’ve got some interesting thoughts on lower-body training. Care to share?

JD: Allow me to steal a line from Alwyn Cosgrove when I say people either overreact or underreact to everything in the fitness industry. The answer is really right in the middle.

It’s definitely true most guys don’t train their legs, and if they do, it’s the shit they see in the mirror. So I give a lot of credit to Louie Simmons, who really popularized hamstring training through box squats, reverse hypers, and everything else. It was like a light bulb went off in the heads of thousands of guys.

But then guys stopped training quads altogether for fear of being “unbalanced.”

For an athlete, or a guy who’s trying to look good, the quads are just as important as the hamstrings. A lot of kids will gain 15 to 20 pounds within a two-month period by just focusing more on their legs, especially the quads. Hell, if you want three muscle groups that will put some size on your body, it’s gotta be your ass, hamstrings, and quads.

I’m a huge fan of single-leg movements like Bulgarian split squats and barbell reverse lunges. If you walk into my gym at any hour I guarantee you’re going to see someone with their back leg on a bench, holding dumbbells to their sides or a barbell on their back. It sucks and it’s hard as hell, but the weight just pours on.

TM: Vince, anything to add here?

VD: I think it’s really important to alternate a strength phase with a volume phase every three to six weeks, and to focus on biofeedback cues.

It may sound simple, but in a strength phase your primary focus should be lifting as much weight as possible. You’ve got to focus on how strong you’re feeling and not worry about how much of a “pump” you’re getting.

But when you switch to the volume phase, you need to focus more on what you experience during those reps, and on accomplishing more total work. You shouldn’t really care about how heavy it is, but how heavy it feels. Really try to establish that mind-muscle connection.

I think one of the most important things to realize is that you’re going to have to work your ass off to get where you want to be. But it’s kind of like saving up a million bucks. Are you going to go into debt again after you’ve worked so hard to get to that point?

Gaining appreciable amounts of muscle requires doing things that may be considered obsessive by your friends. It may cause you to re-examine your social life and your daily habits. But it’s only temporary. When you get where you want to be, you’ll have a completely different mindset. It’s definitely easier to maintain and keep growing once you’ve achieved your base, but it’s an all-out war in the gym and the kitchen until then.

TM: All right, last question. Give my your biggest, baddest tip for skinny guys looking to shed their medium-size T-shirts for good.

CW: Something that I’ve done before with my guys is to give them a cheap watch with a countdown timer that goes off every two hours. Wherever they’re at, they have to drop down and do 20 push-ups and polish it off with a Metabolic Drive protein bar.  Sure, you’ll look stupid doing pushups in the middle of Sears, but who cares? Carry a protein bar with you wherever you go and I guarantee you’ll never be hungry.

TM: Damn, Craig, that’s messed up. What about you Vince?

Vince DelMonte: If I could make a blanket rule, I’d have all skinny guys stop counting reps and stop following a tempo. Your greatest enemy is thinking too much. Let’s eliminate that altogether and focus on training intensely to stimulate growth. I want my guy completely out of his comfort zone. Take whatever program you’re following, start with weights that are five pounds heavier than you did last week, and do as many reps as possible for each set.

The only thing I want you to track is your rest period. Use a stopwatch and keep it honest. It’s okay if you don’t finish the workout and end up vomiting in the washroom after 10 minutes.

TM: Wrap us up, Joe.

JD: Two meals per week, I want my skinny guys to do what I call Hour of Power. This means for the duration of one hour they have to shove as much food as they can into their body without puking. I don’t care what they eat — anything goes.

I’ve found this caloric influx two times per week actually helps skinny guys shock their muscles into growing. It also helps with their recovery. I recommend doing the Hour of Power on Wednesday and Sunday, or any other day you have off from lifting and can afford to be a bit sluggish for a few hours.

But no puking! You’ll lose precious calories.

TM: Awesome tips. Thanks for participating, guys.

The High School Days Of “Skinny Vinny”

By Vince On December 9, 2008 15 Comments

A few months ago I did an interview with my buddy Sean and he asked me some really good questions about what it was like being “Skinny Vinny” during my high school days and I agreed to take you on a stroll down memory lane to give you an idea that I know exactly what it’s like to feel like a scrawny, weak, pip-squeak…. enjoy… if you think you’re the only way who hates being skinny, average and going unnoticed… wait till you read some stories I’ve NEVER revealed online ever before…

Sean: You were once a 149-pound, skinny and underweight long distance runner. What was your life like back then? Did it always bother you being so scrawny?

Vince: Even though I found my identity in running I remember one particular incident after a soccer tournament in Niagara Falls that put me in tears. After a game in 35 degree heat, all the guys took their shirts off and that was the first time I became self conscious about my body and realized my arms resembled spaghetti noodles.  Some of the guys had “pipes” and all I had was “pipe cleaners.”

I went back to my Nonna’s to shower (I was too embarrassed to shower with the other guys) and starred at my forearm in disgust, which resembled a twig, and I literally started screaming at God and yelling, “Why did you make me so skinny?  I hate my arms!”  I actually started crying by myself.

Sean: Wow…did it get any better as high school went on?

Vince: By the end of my high school days I found my identity in the success that my triathlon and running career brought me so I was learning to deal with the “skinny guy” comments.  Although I can vividly remember feeling like that guy who always went “unnoticed” when the shirt came off at co-ed pool parties, shirt and skins soccer games, wearing tight clothes at the bars, vacations at the beach and showering after gym class.  I can always remember seeing a muscular or ripped guy and think, “Jeez, he must pick up lots of girls…”  It was safe to say that I HATED being that average guy in the room that no one noticed..

Sean: Any other skinny guy horror stories?

Vince: I remember when I was in grade 10, no joke, the hottest girl (I mean SMOKING hot) was sitting in front of me in class and turned around and asked me to arm wrestle my buddy.  Since I went to catholic high school we wore dress shirts so I had no idea that my buddy had 16 inch arms in grade 10!  He was on the wrestling team and was one of those genetic muscle freaks who became a high school wrestling champ. To that point in my life, I never knew it was possible for a male teenager to have arms that big, especially since most of my friends were scrawny long distance runners.  Mine weighed in at a full 12.5 inches and I knew I was going to be humiliated but accepted the challenge.  That was pretty stupid of me because as soon as we locked up I felt like my hand was put in a vice grip and I instantly thought, “My gawd… this guy is a going to break my arm!”  Within about half a second my buddy cranked my arm so fast to the desk that I wished I had the power to disappear and become invisible for ever.  All I could do was turn red, I was so embarrassed.  Not only was I pathetically scrawny but I had zero strength.  That experience was so humiliating, that to even this day, I am always hesitant to arm wrestle (even if I know I can take them) to avoid that horrifying moment.

To top off the story, the hottest girl in school just burst out laughing and said to me, “Vince, you would be so hot if you were as big as Chris (my buddies name).  You have nice hair and great eyes but you have to put some weight on your arms.” It’s amazing how vividly I remember that story…

Sean: No kidding… so I take it that you didn’t have a big dating life in high school?

Vince: I only had one girl friend all through high school and it wasn’t until my last year which is when my running career was going really well and my confidence was sky high (and she was 2 grades lower than me…I was too scared of the girls my own age).   I noticed a direct relation to how confident I was and when I would talk to girls.  After a big championship race when my name was announced during the morning announcements, I would have more confidence and I would make more attempts at talking to girls I thought were hot or even cute.  I totally believe that the more muscular guys in high school got more girls, not because of their bodies, but because they were more confident in themselves so they could be themselves which made them naturally attractive. They were also confident in approaching more girls and the more girls you talk to the better your chances of one of them liking you back.   I will never regret my running days but I often wonder, “What would it have been like if I went through high school super buff, ripped and muscular?”  Imagine being that guy that all the guys were jealous of and the girls drooled over?  What would it be like to be the high school stud?   I guess I’ll never know…

Sean: Anything else?

Vince:  I remember when my friends started going to “bush parties” (when high schooler’s steal their parents alcohol and meet in some deserted field or forest to party with all the cool kids) and downtown to the bars, I became very self conscious about the clothes I wore.  I remember going to Bootlegger (the cool and expensive clothing store at the time) and buying these tight fitted “euro” shirts that hugged your entire body (kind of like Under Armour clothes) and standing in front of my Mom’s mirror for 15-20 minutes examining my buddy and how it looked from different angles. I would try 4-5 different shirts of the similar style until I found the one that made my body look as big as possible.  I became very jealous of the guys who could wear plain t-shirts or any kind of clothing because their muscular physiques made any kind of clothes look good.

Sean: Anything embarrassing that you hope other skinny guys could avoid?

Vince:  Yes… one last memory I’ll share for now (I have MANY more).  I remember going to “Tony’s Billards,” which was where a lot of guys in high school would go on weekends to shoot pool.  This pool hall was surrounded with mirrors so I got into a habit of checking myself out in the mirror (when I didn’t think anyone was looking) to see how my arms looked in my euro fitted shirts.  One time I was squeezing the pool cue in a attempt to see some definition in my arms and one my buddies caught me and just burst out laughing and went on to tell a few more guys who thought it was equally funny and the story soon spread up and down the hall ways on Monday morning at school. My buddy went on to nickname me “Heart Throb Vinny D” which was the last thing I felt like!

Sean: I’m sure you could go on, lets talk more about your University days in the next interview.  Any final comments to anyone reading?

Vince: Yes.  If i didn’t have my running, I wish I had muscle in high school.  I am confident that having a muscular and strong body would have made me more relaxed, confident, less stressed and would have helped me enjoy my high school days much more.  I definitely would have dated more girls or talked to more girls and I would not have been so afraid of confrontation (an entire other subject) and I would have been much tougher and would not have let guys push me around verbally.

I’m not sure if you can relate to my story but if you’re skinny, I don’t care how friggin weak or scrawny you are, I can relate to you and I know how it feels.

That is why you should listen to me.  Stop listening to Jay Cutler and Ronnie Coleman.  Those guys don’t have a clue of what it’s like to be you.  Stop reading those bodybuilding websites and magazines that are covered with guys who use steroids and are just trying to sell you supplements and “drug program” workouts.

They don’t care about you either and they don’t have your best interests at heart.  They just want you to buy into their lies and rip you off over and over.

I am dead serious.  Stop listening to anyone and everyone who can not relate to your problem.  Why would you take advice from anyone who has zero clue what it’s like to have bad genetics, a fast metabolism or long limbs?  They did not have to overcome the same obstacles as you so in my opinion, they are not the most credible source of information for you… Would you take money advice from a guy who won the lottery?  So why take bodybuilding advice from a guy who has amazing genetics?

Listen to me and do what I tell you.  If you’re sick and tired of being skinny and want to become super buff, ripped and muscular and have girls drooling over you and make guys jealous of you start following my muscle building program and you’ll be able to hook up with any girl you want and you’ll get more respect from your buddies that they’ll start asking you for advice.

Don’t miss out on the opportunities that I did…. life is too short to be skinny and average – order my muscle building program NOW.

Click here to get a 21-day risk free trial for only $19.95

–http://www.vincedelmontefitness.com/trial_offer.html

Talk soon,

Vince DelMonte

Inspiring & Shocking Transformation Results!

By Vince On December 2, 2008 12 Comments

Unbelievable!

Both our male and female place winners won quite convincingly but the battle for 2nd and 3rd in both categories went down to the final lap!

I am awarding the 1st place male and the 1st place female $1,000 cash. Click the link below to see who won:

-> http://www.yoursixpackquest.com/transformation_contest/transformation_contest.html

Read our winner’s success stories and if you wish to comment on any the before and after stories or leave a message for any of the contestants or have any questions for any of the contestants, please post below.

I am very proud of every single contestant and can’t wait to announce the next transformation challenge very soon. Stay tuned.

Vince DelMonte,

Truth About Bodybuilding Supplements Part 2

By Vince On October 13, 2008 37 Comments

If you think my last video on the supplement mafia was disturbing, wait until you watch this one…

…you’re going to laugh, scream and then show all your
friends after you watch this.

You’ll also notice a few dozen very emotional and thought provoking responses to last weeks video on Christian Boeving saying, “…you should be smarter than that…” when it comes to choosing bogus bodybuilding supplements.

I got a lot of feedback defending the “good guys” in the supplement industry and I would like to believe there are some really high quality products out there but when I see a video like this, I really lose all my trust and hope.

After watching that video, I have 3 questions for you…

1. How do you feel about supplement companies being able to make products for $1-2 and than selling them to you for $60?

2. What do you think of the supplement industry being unregulated and not needing FDA approval?

3. Why do you justify buying supplements when you know that supplement companies can easily put out low quality products?

It’s no wonder the supplement industry is a 24 BILLION dollar industry – anybody can make them and we keep buying them because we’re pathetically desperate!

Hey, I’m guilty too – I won’t lie. I’ve been in the supplement store, just like you, and have given in to my lust for instant gratification thinking, “Maybe this will help me muscle up quicker..”

Here’s some more of my own thoughts with supplements…

1. Even IF certain supplements are high in quality, I never expect them to work miracles.

2. I’ll ask myself, “What am I trying to get this supplement to do that my training, diet and lifestyle can not?”

3. I’ve lost 90% of my trust in the supplement industry.

4. I’m so skeptical that even when a new product comes out and it’s from someone I trust, I’m not even interested in “looking into it” because I’ve wasted enough time and money in the past only to be disappointed.

5. I know that my body is not getting what it says on the actual bottle and I can’t believe what the store owner says because (for the most part) they just want to sell you the product they have the biggest margins on (i.e. biggest profit).

6. I’ve never seen a friend muscle up on supplements or hear someone say, “I got big because of this supplement…” Have you? Seriously, all the guys I know who are really muscular and strong have at least one of the following commonalities…

- they either have amazing genetics.
- they have used anabolic steroids.
- they have a true love for good old fashioned training.
- they live and breath a healthy bodybuilding lifestyle.
- they have been consistent and committed to their goals since they started.

7. Lastly, you just don’t know what you’re putting in your body. You don’t – no matter what it says on the bottle -how in the world do you really know if it’s good or bad?

Do you think any company is going to admit the truth about their absorption rates and manufacturing process? Why gamble your health and money on supplements if you’re not confident in the return you’re getting for your investment?

Instead, I would encourage you to put your efforts into the 90% that DOES work.

1. A structured and progressive training program.
2. A healthy and balanced eating plan.
3. A lifestyle that provides 8 hours of sleep each night.

If you’re sick and tired of the pills and powders that promise
the physique of your dreams but deliver nothing but
gastrointestinal stress then get started with my muscle
building program to muscle up the natural way…

http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com

If you’re already bulked up and need to cut the fat, then I have a completely different system at http://www.YourSixPackQuest.com

Take your pick and learn how to change your body for life.

Talk soon

Vince DelMonte

P.S. Don’t forget to leave your comments…

Video PROOF: Why You Can’t Trust Bodybuilding Supplements

By Vince On October 8, 2008 150 Comments

Over the next few days I’m going to send you some very disturbing video content that, I am confident, will make your blood boil.

I feel it’s necessary to wake you up to the ugly reality of the supplement industry and encourage you with the words my father shares with me, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for everything.”

If you think or already know the supplement industry is scamming you – wait until you watch this 60 second video – you haven’t seen or heard anything yet…

State where your stand on the comments below.

I’ll go first.

1. How did Christian’s comments make YOU feel?

Interestingly, it seemed like this was the first time Christian was ever asked this question as his moral compass started spinning. I do respect him for being honest and not beating around the bush.

My main issue is that a guy like Christian (he’s just one example) may be inspiring thousands of young guys to look like him, but he is also misleading thousands by assuming everyone is trusting and unassuming. He cleverly puts his moral compass back in line by saying

“…you should be smarter than that.”

And he’s absolutely right, you and I should be smarter and not obsessed with instant gratification and supplements that promise to work like fairy dust.

Unfortunately, most guys have to learn the hard way and have to flush a few hundred dollars (or a few thousand dollars) down the drain to see these pills and powders do not work like they promise but it’s too late – the sale has been made and the supplement company has got your money and laughing all the way to the bank and off to create their next “propriety blend” they’ll convince you to buy next month.

You actually think the models and bodybuilders in magazines got muscular and ripped off NO2 and glutamine (just to name two)? They tell you that hard training and certain supplements were the solution, but it’s really anabolic steroids.

2. What are YOU going to do about it?

I’ll tell you what I’m doing first.

I’ve been preaching against the supplement scams the past 6 years ever since I learned about the supplement mafia but I think we easily forget because we are obsessed with a society that glorifies instant gratification and the desperate thought that,

“Maybe this one will work…”

I made my stand in 2002 – it’s quite simple.

I vote with my dollar by not spending money on any bogus supplements and will not experiment with anything until I see it stand the test of time and be on the market for at least 3 years (IMO, that’s the best test).

Click here to continue reading

Truth About Fat Burners

By Vince On July 31, 2008 No Comments

Before I share a video on fat burners and fat loss pills I am going to touch on some motivators for getting lean that might appear superficial…

So I am at Wasaga beach this weekend – one of the craziest beaches in Ontario. It’s pretty much where all the young people flock to during long weekends.

Some people call it a “meat market,” some people call it a “car show” and some people call it a “fashion show” and it’s definitely a place you’ll get “checked out” if you’re muscular or ripped. Superficial, I know, but if you have a choice between looking good and looking bad… you might as well take care of yourself and look good.

When you’re at the beach – you either have “it” your don’t.

It’s pretty hard to fake ripped and muscular while wearing just a bathing suit or bikini.

That goes for girls too. You can’t fake lean and toned. Either you have it or you don’t and if you don’t have it
today, let me ask, “What are you going to do about it?”

Can you imagine going to the beach and WANTING to peel your shirt off and not having to worry about what you wear because ALL clothes look good on you because you have the right cuts, curves and proportion everywhere on your body.

Imagine being that guy that girls whisper to their girlfriends, “He’s hot!” Or maybe you are the guy with the smoking hot girlfriend because she wants a guy who looks hot too.

I am very comfortable when I hit the beach, go to the out door restaurants and eat shirtless, wear a tank top and walk along the strip in just sandals and my swim trunks.

If looking good for the opposite sex is one of you primary motivators for training in the gym and you would like to be “that guy” or “that gal” at the beach who turns heads and makes other jealous then you can’t afford to waste your time.

Summer comes 2 months a year and you have ten months to prepare. You have NO EXCUSE in the world not to have the body you want.

I have 3 more FREE videos for you today to help you build a “beach worthy body!”

Check out this video to discover the truth about fat burners and fat loss pills:

The a href=”http://www.yoursixpackquest.com”Truth About Fat Burners/a p
object width=”425″ height=”344″param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/DPmNSsrJh18hl=enfs=1″/paramparam name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true”/paramembed src=”http://www.youtube.com/v/DPmNSsrJh18hl=enfs=1″ type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowfullscreen=”true” width=”425″ height=”344″/embed/object

I would love your comments and to learn from you too so post some feedback and opinion after you view the videos.

Life is good,

Vince DelMonte

Bodybuilding Supplements: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

By Vince On April 24, 2008 4 Comments

Supplement discussion, specifically bodybuilding supplements, is a touchy subject for a guy like me.

I didn’t realize how much “abuse” I would take when I exposed the “supplement industry” a few years ago and then went on to recommend some of the “basic” bodybuilding supplements I DO use.

LOL

I guess this can be perceived as “hypocritical.”
Fair enough. I’m like you and can get easily frusturated with the conflicting supplement advice and advertisements out there and it’s hard for ME to find people I should trust too.

The supplement industry is loaded with fraudulent claims, bogus products that sometimes aren’t even what they claim to be, and lots of ineffective products (even when they ARE what they claim to be).

Despite these problems, I’ve always contended that there ARE a handful of useful products out there, and certainly some honest companies mixed in with the abundant scam artists.
Today’s discussion will be around Prograde Nutrition, the one company I’ve found that is actually honest and sells only research-proven products.
It’s also their ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY today! (Make sure you read right to the bottom to get a 10% Off Coupon that expires tonight at midnight)

This company has been in the making for about 4 years now, and was built by a group of fitness professionals whose main goal was to try to fight against the problems in the supplement industry and offer an honest solution without the hype and without the loads of products that have no research behind
them and don’t work.

Let’s discuss some of the typical problems with supplements, and how to avoid them and choose the right products that will actually get you results.

Problem #1 with supplements: Ever since the passing of the 1994 Dietary Supplement and
Health Education Act (DSHEA) in the US, supplements have been excluded from federal regulation.

One of the negative aspects of this is that certain unscrupulous companies could now pretty much get away with putting anything they wanted in the bottle because it did not have to undergo quality control testing to make it to market. Their label didn’t even have to match what was in the bottle, since nobody is policing them.
The only way to catch these companies was for independent testing firms to run tests on their own dime to find out which companies are honest and which are fraudulent.

Prograde solved this problem by requiring that all of their products go through High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) testing to guarantee what they say is in the bottle is TRULY in the bottle, and delivers the desired results.
Their manufacturing plant is also a GMP certified manufacturer – “A” rated facility to assure quality.

Problem #2 with supplements: One of the other major problems I’ve had with the supplement industry are falsely hyped up claims about “miraculous” results with their products giving you the false hope that your body will turn into a fitness model’s within a couple weeks of using their “miracle pill.”

Well, we all know by now that most of these products do very little, if anything to actually create results in the body. Even if some of them have minor positive effects, it does not address the underlying cause of the problem in the first place, and results will never last in the long run without lifestyle changes to both your exercise and nutrition habits as a whole.

In response to this, the founders of Prograde made sure there was absolutely no hype or ridiculous claims… only a very limited line of the most effective research-backed products without any BS or confusing “stacks”.

Problem #3 with supplements. Most people overlook this problem when buying vitamins and supplements. The fact is that your body does not properly absorb nutrients from artificial sources as is common with many supplements and vitamins.

Once again, I asked the founders of Prograde to respond to this. I was happy to find that their products are actually extracted from whole-food sources instead of artificial sources, meaning better absorption in your body.

They even purchased a 2500-acre farm in mineral rich soils in sunny Florida where all of their raw materials are grown. I must say…I’m impressed!
Problem #4 with supplements:

Another problem I have with typical supplements is this…

The normal scenario when someone buys supplements is that they may go to their local supplement/vitamin store and they are given advice by some high school kid making $7/hr who has no education whatsoever in nutrition.

Do you really want to put your health in the hands of some kid who is simply telling you that you need to get such and such supplement because he saw something about how great it was in a magazine advertisement?

Once again, the founders of Prograde solved this problem by assuring that all of their products were designed by professionals in the industry — dietitians and nutritionists who carefully analyzed which products actually are beneficial and which are a waste of time and money. They then narrowed their line of products down to only a handful of the most effective.

They also have decided that their products will never be sold in stores because they don’t want unqualified store clerks with no education in nutrition to recommend products for your health. That’s why you can only obtain them from their website, so you know you’re getting them from qualified professionals in the industry.

Problem #5 with supplements: The problem is quite simply this… YOU DON’T NEED THEM for optimal health, IF you’re eating right.

The fact is, you don’t need supplements as long as you eat a well rounded diet full of unprocessed whole natural foods, lots of variety, high nutrient density, lots of fruits, veggies, whole unrefined grains, eggs, beans, nuts, seeds, organic meats, fish, etc, etc.

The problem is that most people don’t have time or don’t make enough of an effort to eat this type of optimal diet with proper balance and super-high nutrient density.

In this case, I concede that supplementation has many benefits for people who struggle to eat right all of time and may be missing many essential nutrients.

To solve this problem, the founders of a href=”http://www.vincedelmontenutrition.com”Prograde/a have actually formulated their men’s and women’s formulas with extracts of natural whole foods instead of synthetic sources. They even use whole food extracts from broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, wheat grass, alfalfa, artichoke, chorella, kale, collard greens, papaya, grapefruit, tomato, omega-3’s, and dozens more.

Well, I think that’s enough for today.

I’ve been using these supplements for the past 12 months and although I can’t say they have performed miracles, I have not been sick in over a year, my recovery is incredible, and I never suffer from energy lows.

Many of my customers can attest to the same results.

One Year Anniversary Sale

Until tonight, Thursday April 24th at midnight, Prograde is offering a 10% Off Coupon

I personally use these three products:

1. Workout (pre and post workout drink)
2. EFA Icon (more powerful than standard fish oil)
3. VGF 25+ (multi vitmain)

Click here to get 10% off till tomorrow night
– http://www.VinceDelMonteNutrition.com

The coupon code is:

oneyear

Yes, that is one word. And yes, it needs to be lower case.

For everyone outside of the US and Canada, unfortunately they are not offering shipping yet outside of the US/Canada, but are currently working on getting shipping to all other countries in the near future.

Please be patient and they should have it soon.

Stay tuned for that.

Your friend and coach,
Vince DelMonte

P.S. Remember, these are the exact supplements I personally use and recommend to my customers and family.

Click here to get 10% off for their One Year Birthday Day Sale until Thursday at midnight:

– http://www.VinceDelMonteNutrition.com

Home Made Supplement Program

By Vince On February 12, 2008 1 Comment

In the last 4 weeks I’ve had over 2000 new people sign up for my No Nonsense Muscle Building program…

…and I’m getting hammered with emails on “supplement recommendations.”

So lets talk supplements/a today

Even though I am quite “anit-supplement” on my website,I have to admit that using CERTAIN sport supplements CAN help you get faster muscle building and fat loss results.

And better health, most importantly.

I personally recommend supplements more strongly when you hit about a 90% threshold in your training, nutrition and lifestyle. Supplements WILL help an advanced trainee getto the “next level.”

For beginners (training less than a year), supplements will improve health and recovery but the affects will not be as noticeable as an advanced trainee who has hit a plateau.

So which muscle building supplements REALLY work at building mass, burning fat, or increasing hormones…and which ones are designed to simply suck money out of your wallet like a Hoover vacuum?!

Do you know how to tell?

Sure, you can read reviews in forums by amateur 16 year olds…

…or you can fall victim to the latest hyped-up “natural mass-builder” supplement that promises you “freakishly huge muscles” like the steroid-fueled pro who’s holding up the bottle in the magazine ad…

…but you’ve been there before, haven’t you?

Well get all this BS out of your head because I’m going to introduce you to the ULTIMATE solution for all of your supplement frustrations…

If you’ve been with me longer then a few months, you will have heard me talk about my good friend Jeff Anderson, also known as “The Muscle Nerd.” He’s the only guy I know who actually TEACHES YOU how to make your OWN powerful sports supplements in the privacy of your home. Honestly, this is the one supplement product I wish I created first!

This step-by-step program has gotten RAVE REVIEWS from users who are now saving HUNDREDS on their monthly supplement bills and discovering just how easy it is to copy the formulas of the best selling supplements on the market today.

Jeff emailed me last night, right after I sent my newsletter to you, to tell me about his special promotion going on right now that’s going to get you to that “next level.”

Until February 15th, Jeff is adding an amazing 5 EXTRA GIFTS to the already jam-packed package…including his own PERSONAL supplement formula recipes that have taken him over 16 months to develop and test! Don’t wait on this because the extra bonuses are gone after this Friday!

Click here to check out Jeff’s “Home Made Supplement Secrets” program.

Oh yeah… check out the price on this baby too… I wonder if you’ll laugh as hard as I did when I saw it!

Train hard,
Vince DelMonte