Beast Life Q&A

Question: Is it worth it to hire a strength coach or personal trainer?
Answer: If you have the coin, sure. A second set of eyes, with legit experience and training is always a good idea. Lifting solo over a period of years has a tendency to develop bad habits. Bad habits can lead to injuries over enough time. So again, if you’ve got the extra money, go ahead and put it to something useful. Sometimes there are things that you need help with that can’t be solved by watching the countless quality YouTube videos or digging through endless forums at bodybuilding.com. And I don’t pretend to be the end all-be all of weight lifting expertise, either. I’m just a regular guy who scares the shit out of most people when they first meet me, without ever saying a word. And I want to help other people achieve this valuable ability. But even I reach out to other people for advice and form checks from time to time.
A point of caution though: try to get someone who is recommended. Coaches and trainers are just like any other profession. Some are great, and they really known what they are talking about. Some people are retards who got a bullshit cert from a local community college with classes written by people who are also retards.
Also, never accept advice from someone who looks like they use steroids, unless you are also taking steroids. They will be really huge, rally cut, and unusually vascular (steroids increase blood flow, which makes veins bigger). Guys on steroids are lifting on easy mode, while you’re trying to lift on normal or even difficult mode. They will have extra strength, extra stamina, and much shorter recovery. You will not have any of this. So taking advice from the easy mode guys can get you hurt. Bad.
 
I was asked this question today at the gym: Do you have any advice for dropping weight? I’m trying to lose 15 lbs so I can get into the military.
Answer: Don’t neglect weight training. Lean muscle mass is where your meat comes from. Wake up early, down a protein shake, and go on a run with sprint intervals. 30 minutes. Eat breakfast after the run. Don’t run every day. I really recommend lifting Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, then running Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
Also, diet is more important than anything. Cut out any starchy carbs. No bread, no pasta, no potatoes, no rice, no fruit or sugar. Eat meat, beans, veggies, nuts. Make a judgement call on dairy, but full fat is better than low fat.