Living Large. Vince Del Monte

      Your genes don’t determine what you can or can’t do. They express how your body responds to what you do. I’ve helped scores of men and women who thought they were genetically destined to be skinny or fat achieve their goals just by fixing a few things they were doing wrong.

      It’s true that guys with great genetics can afford to make more mistakes in training and nutrition strategies, and they may still get bigger faster than most.

       Your genes don’t determine what you can or can’t do.

       They express how your body responds to what you do.

      If you build muscle a little slower, the added time it takes to get there is irrelevant. It might take one guy one year and take you two years. Big deal.

      If you’re afraid you can’t build the body you want and maintain it, throw those fears out. The only people who can’t build muscle have a terminal disease.

      If, like me, you were born with the genetics to be a skinny guy, you’re not doomed to remain skinny. But you need to be more scientific and strategic. I’m going to teach you to do what’s necessary. Nothing more. Nothing less.

      One more thing I want you to experience: satisfaction. Nothing is more satisfying than overcoming a legitimate obstacle and reaching your goal. Your transformation will inspire others, so the next skinny guy will say, “Holy cow, he did it! Why can’t I?”

      (Remember, this book is about building life-changing muscle, not just self-serving muscle.)

Quit Saying, “I Don’t Have Enough Money”

      I’ve never heard anyone complain about putting in a lot of money when they’re getting a big return on investment, have you?

      The top three investments I’ve made have gone to food, mentoring, and a great MAT™ (Muscle Activation Technique) therapist, and I’ve received exponential returns—in my body and in my business. You don’t have to be a fitness expert to benefit from having a great physique. TIME magazine reported in June 2012 a study by the Journal of Labor Research that found employees who exercise earn 9 percent more than those who don’t.

      Invest in your weakest link. Eating organic is healthier, but it won’t have a “game-changing” impact on your results, so if you want to be frugal, maybe you’ll buy conventional and wash your produce a little more thoroughly. Maybe your weakest link is in the gym. If you don’t train with enough intensity or you are having trouble finding a workout partner who is as committed as you, invest in a trainer.

      Supplements—the few that work—only have a marginal impact, maybe a 10 percent improvement, in your results, so hold off on most of those for now. Later, I’ll show you the four supplements that you can’t go without.

      For the next 30 weeks, I’m asking you to prioritize your finances toward this goal. You don’t need to spend a ton of money, but if you’re willing to invest some, you will see more gains.

Drop the “I Don’t Have a Lot of Time” Speech

      If you think you don’t have any time, then I’m not sure why you’re reading this book. Put the book down and go make up your mind about what your priorities are. If you’re not ready to show up, I can’t help you. No one can help you. You’re beyond help. If you don’t have time now, you never will. Life gets faster, busier. Start with the time you do have. You don’t need a lot.

      The first time I trained with one of my mentors, I ended up puking in the bathroom after six sets of body weight split squats. It took nine minutes. I was used to pumping out a couple dozen “junk sets” for an hour and a half, but he raised the intensity so high that after the first few sets, I was done. I didn’t need to do anymore. I saw black spots for days.

      If you’re training a lot but not intensely, you might even need to make your workouts shorter. Most people aren’t investing time in the gym. They are spending it. Wasting it. Most guys try to work out six days a week with 18 to 24 sets per workout (inspired by the misleading “muscle & fiction” magazines). You don’t need that many sets. You didn’t earn it. Time in the gym has to be earned. Volume has to be earned. Learn to get the most out of one set, then add more sets. Don’t add more volume until you’ve earned the need for more. Get the most out of the least amount of effort. Eliminate junk sets. Pare down to the “minimum effective dose” of workout time. Get in. Get it done. Get out. The solution to building 30 pounds of muscle in 30 weeks is focused intense effort in the moment—making each rep, each set, each workout matter.

      If you’re training for zero minutes a week right now, even five minutes will help. Do three killer sets in five minutes, and you will grow.

No More “I’m Too __________” (Insert Your Limiting Belief Here)

      Everyone has some B.S. story that they pull out as an excuse of why they can’t reach their goals. I had the limiting belief that I always blow my diet when I go on a trip. Thinking that way, I was giving myself permission to get off course, and I became my own worst enemy. I shared my frustrations with others who used the same excuse. “Oh, yeah, me too!” they would say, and that only reinforced my belief that it was beyond my control.

      It wasn’t until I met a guy who traveled as much as I did, who went to as many five-star hotels and restaurants, but was absolutely shredded. He didn’t have any trouble staying lean and continuing to make gains.

      “What do you do?” I asked.

      “I don’t drink booze, and I avoid appetizers and dessert,” he said.

      “Huh? I can do that. I can cut the dessert!” I thought. And so I did, and I saw that I too could come home from a trip looking just as good as when I left.

      I changed my story about what’s possible, tried a new strategy, and the results changed my belief!

       Find the areas where you think you’re being held back by some mysterious power. Realize these are the areas where you need a better story and a better strategy.

      For you, no whining and no wallowing. Find the areas where you think you’re being held back by some mysterious power. Realize these are the areas where you need a better story and a better strategy. Whatever your limiting story is, make up an empowering one to replace it. Wherever you use a faulty strategy, get a new one.

      Establish new patterns and habits. Hang out with people who have raised their standards and commitment to the level that’s required to get the results you want. Whenever I go out with these friends, I don’t even worry about willpower, because I know they’re not ordering.

       “The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact you can do something, you can do it.”

       —ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER