Questions – 11/28/2011
Jeremy
First off Tyler would like to say that I am really appreciative of all the hard work you have put into this blog. I read it daily, looking for anything new that may be able to help me along my way. I have a questions regarding the Evogen supplement; it states not to take on a full stomach, how do you manage your post workout protein intake? I used to consume my protein right after a workout, as of late I have been waiting a half hour before doing so due to the directions on the package. Thank you for all that you do.
28 November 2011
Tyler - Your welcome Jeremy..and thank you...You've got it right just wait 30 minutes after taking the cell kem and glyco to have your protein.
varun juneja
w your profile at simplyshredded.com and must say it is awsome.I am after a similar build, but struggling. I was using the PHAT training fior around 8 weeks now and am looking to switch to a different method. Was thinking of switiching to the split on your profile.
28 November 2011
Tyler - thank you! good luck with that. I used that split for about a year.
John
Hey Tyler, as always thanks for the inspiration and reaching out to the public. I have 2 questions. Firstly, do you recommend 5-6 smaller meals or 3 larger ones a day? And secondly I'm 18 years old, 152 lbs, and 5 foot 10 inches tall, I'm looking to make gains and am unsure whether or not to keep doing cardio, what would you recommend? Thanks Tyler!
28 November 2011
Tyler - 5-6 meals a day is what I recommend if your trying to build muscle. I would give the cardio a break for a while and just focus on pounding the weights and eating plenty of quality food.
Alex B.
Question about your supplements from evogen, In your stack you are supposed to take Glycojet, which has 25g of carbs and also EVP. Are you not worried about an insulin spike before your workout? Because on an ad for EVP Hany is quoted saying that he created EVP with no carbs to prevent this(also no bad stims) whats going on?
27 November 2011
Tyler - I don't worry about it. It's been working great for me so I'm not going to question it.
doug
happy belated birthday
27 November 2011
Tyler - Thank you doug
Nauman
hey tyler hope you are doing fine ... i am your big fan and really wanna make body like you ven i have put your picture on desktop at my phone so it can give me motivation whenever i see my phone ... Can you give some tome for winter season ? what to do or what not to do ?
26 November 2011
Tyler - not sure what your asking? what to do or not to do is based off what your goals are for yourself
Marcus
hey! tyler, is thinking how-come you don't have you don't have a sponsorship yet. your fan base is crazy 
22 November 2011
Tyler - hopefully one day 
James
Tyler I was thinking of doing a cycle before my shoot what steroids would you recommend for bulking + cutting? Id like to put on 10-20lbs but mainly focus it on chest , laterals , Abs, Arms
22 November 2011
Tyler - I am in no position to recommend steroid cycles. I think you should try to accomplish your goals naturally. If you are dead set on doing a cycle my advice is speak with your doctor. research as much as possible and be smart about it.
Roanoke Trip Part 2
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Thanksgiving was great! I spent all day with my family and didn't leave the house at all. I had my normal first meal but after that just had 2 very large meals and a couple snacks of cheese bread and sausage balls. I barely even ate any turkey because I wanted all the carbs and sugars It felt weird not eating on my normal schedule and I was ready to get right back to it Friday. I believe the reason people gain unwanted weight during the holidays is they continue on day after day eating leftovers etc. you can't do this and expect not to gain fat even if you are working out still. Have the one day and move on. All of the food cranked up my metabolism a notch. Every time I would eat something I would almost break a sweat. Later that night my Dad and I watched Horrible Bosses after watching about an hour worth of previews. It was a pretty funny movie but damn there have been some shitty movies lately..it shouldn't take an hour to find a movie to watch lol.
Ben and Brook - 11/25/2011 Gold's Gym
Michael (brother in law),Megan,Leah
Paw Paw (grandfather), Dylan,Dad
Friday's chest smash was INTENSE! My friends Ben and Brook trained with me. If I could train with them every week I know I would make some serious strength gains. They are some BEASTS! Both were pressing the 130lb Db's. Ben goes to VMI and once he's finished he's going to do his first show and Brook goes to Radford and is wanting to gain more size before he competes himself. They both are weighing around 230-240lb.
All week I've had some really good workouts except my delt workout on Tuesday. Trent linked up with me again today and we trashed some hams. He's got a great frame and is wanting to add on some size too. I'll be helping him with his diet so he can pack on some muscle.
Overall is has been nice being back in Roanoke for the week and I'll be coming back for Christmas!
Roanoke Trip part 1
11/23/2011 - Deniro
On Monday morning I left Nashville to come to my hometown Roanoke,VA to spend Thanksgiving with my family and friends. It was a miserable drive considering it rained for 6 out of the 7hr long journey. I almost had to stop but get some type of stim to wake me back up but I fought through it. That being said I'm not sure if I mentioned in a previous post or not but I havn't had any type of stim for 6 weeks now. Quad day was up to train and I don't know how I managed it but I got one of my most intense quad workouts in a while. My friend Trent joined along and both of us have been in some pain this whole week lol. Just another example of mentally being present in your workouts and how your mind controls your body because my body felt completely exhausted from the travel but being back in my old gyms atmosphere and being around my friends pushed me to get a great one.
Tuesday rolled around and I felt like complete shit. Everything caught up to me and I managed to take a nap after each workout. My weight training workout was not good I felt very flat and my strength wasn't where it usually was and I attest this to lack of adequate rest and not enough water. Later that night I hung out with my parents and we watched X Factor. After that I had my phone call with Hany to get my program changes and that always gets my spirits back up since I was feeling down from having a shitty workout earlier. He also gave me the great news that I can have a cheat meal and enjoy Thanksgiving with my family
11/23/2011 - Gold's Gym Roanoke,VA
Yesterday was a complete 360. I woke up feeling rested and ready to tear up some weights! My friend Ben Bowles and I went over the the Gold's and an awesome workout. I made sure to drink plenty of water before this one so I wouldn't suffer from lack of pump. Last night I went out for a couple of hours to see some friends since my Birthday is tomorrow. I've got to admit this was the first time since I was 14 years old that I spent a birthday completely sober. I actually got made fun of and told I was weird for not even having one drink. When you want something back enough your willing to make the proper sacrifices that you need to in order to know you gave it 100 percent no matter the outcome. I also know that there are thousands of other guys trying to accomplish the same things I am within the fitness industry and I keep that in the back of my mind knowing that they are working just as hard as I am.
Turning 27 today. I have to say I feel the best I ever have than any other birthday in my late teens all through my 20's. My head is on straight and I've NEVER believed in myself the way that I do now.
I hope EVERYONE has a safe and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Questions – 11/20/2011
mac
Hey Tyler, firstly i would like to let you know that you inspire me an awful lot.. and for that i would like to thank you! Tyler i was considering trying your diet presented on simplyshredded.com, but i would first like to know how it worked for you and whether you would recommend it or not. Thanks again for inspiring so many of us, and know that you have tons of fans down here in South Africa!
20 November 2011
Tyler - I had to go back and look at the diet because I had forgotten what I was doing back then. That diet was what I typically did every day leading up to going to NYC the first weekend of DEC 2010 which in my opinion was the best condition I've ever accomplished BUT I was flat and didn't have a full look. I wouldn't follow something like that for myself.
Mike
hey tyler Im struggling with bulking, I feel like im going to gain a lot of fat if im over eating. I am eating clean though just a lot but Im wondering how you originally got in the mindset of bulking and losing abs or "cutness" mentality really. Hopefully Im not being confusing
19 November 2011
Tyler - Your not being confusing at all. What you do have to realize if that your not going to make lean muscle gains being extremely lean and low water and sodium levels. So that being said if your goal is to improve muscle mass you will have to "bulk" up a bit. Don't get that mistaken for getting fat and not having abs what so ever. This whole time I've always been able to still see my abs.
Amar
Tyler you need some workout updates my chest is adapting to my chest workouts and i'm not feeling enough pain,
18 November 2011
Tyler - Try FST-7 technique. If you have already been doing that try switching up the exercise your using the technique with a different one or try pre-loading (doing it at the start of your workout instead of end) Also try switching the order up on exercises that you do.
John
How much water do you drink every day?
17 November 2011
Tyler - 1.5 gallons
AT
Let me clarify my last question. When you say you do the Evogen Stack, does that include all three products. From what I can tell from Bodybuilding.com the stack is just Cell Kem and EVP. if you are using all three in your "stack" would you mind sharing how you use them throughout your day. thanks man
16 November 2011
Tyler - I use all three products. I have 1 scoop of Cell K.e.m. after my workout and before bed. I have 2 scoops of EVP along with 1 scoop of glycoject pre workout and post workout I have 1 scoop of glycoject with the cell kem.
Wholesale Discovery
11/17/2011 - Nashville
Coming into only the second week of cutting and I feel great. However I have to deal with a little bit of hunger which will most likely not get any better but it's nothing compared to when I tried the lean gains approach. I put myself through pure hell for 3 weeks with only eating 3 times a day. Fasting up until 12-1pm and only eating chicken and asparagus. Same for the other 2 meals as well. Do not try that on yourself. I felt horrible and it made me look very skinny. Back to what's going on currently it's been a awesome week of workouts. I leave on Monday morning for VA and I'll be up there for a full week. This is a much needed break for me and I can't wait to spend time with my family and friends. I'll be linking up with my old training partner Ben Bowles so we will be training together all week along with Trent. I received an email the other day from Trent and he looks totally different now from when he used to workout at the BAC when I was first starting to gain a lot of mass. He has a very similar story to mine as he was a basketball player and didn't get into lifting until after high school. I'm looking forward to training my ass off all week and even though I won't be eating all day like I usually do every year on Thanksgiving the taste of progression to my goals is much better In order to be the best you have to live it!
After watching a lifestyle video on Todd Jewel (another Hany Rambod creation) on musculardevelopment.com it showed him going to a wholesale meat place to get all of his meats. I googled to see if we had one here in Nashville and low and behold there was one 5 minutes from the house. This is a great way to save money if you eat the kind of portions I do.
Questions – 11/15/2011
Jacob
Hey Tyler, quick question for you. I've currently been on a bulk type cycle and just came off of a cut. I've been on it for about 2 months. I typically do low intensity cardio pwo to stay lean. Recently I've been eating alot of junk for the last week cuz of birthdays and what have you. My question is, how do you suggest I make up for it? Do a minicut? Increase cardio? Low carb for a few days? I feel like any fat I put on during a bulk will not come off unless I start cutting again.
16 November 2011
Tyler - I'm not sure if your saying you've been on a bulk for 2 months or a cut for 2 months. I wouldn't jump the gun and start making major changes to your program because you don't want to take the chance of losing hard earned muscle. Don't panic just cut the junk out clean up your diet and any fat or water you gained will come off slowly.
Reed
do you eat the yolks in eggs or do you think there is too much fat in them for six packs abs?
16 November 2011
Tyler - Adding 1-2 yolks to your egg whites will not be a problem. They are filled with tons of vitamins and minerals.
Angel
hey tyler...what supplements are u currently taking at this time? and are u getting the best results so far?
16 November 2011
Tyler - Evogen Stack... www.evogennutrition.com by far the best supplements I've taken.
Kristopher
How many weeks are you going to be cutting?
15 November 2011
Tyler - 6-8 weeks really depends how my condition is and when my shoots will be.
Yaseen
Hey Tyler, what was your diet like for the Mr. Universe weekend in your bio?
14 November 2011
Tyler - It was universe weekend by muscle mania. in 2007 i had no clue what i was doing and was over eating on everything. lots of chicken,beef,rice,sweet potato never cycled or did low carbs. In 2008 my girlfriend at the time Michele Levesque did my diet for me and it was low carb to no carb then the last few days i carbed up on oats,sweet potato.
Eric
Hey Tyler when you do shoulder press with dumbells or barbell, have you ever had a problem with your shoulders making like a "cracking" or "poping" sound while doing reps. Thanks
13 November 2011
Tyler - No I've never experienced that. I suggest you stop doing that because it could lead to injury.
Henry
Do u think it is. A cheat to have eggs Benedict wit h Salmom And whole wheat waffles with honey
12 November 2011
Tyler - Yes...anything that is not on my daily plan is considered a cheat for me.
Henry
This might be psychological and a bit off topic, but have u noticed that when you look at your abs by looking downward they don't look ripped, but in the mirror they do? maybe it is just in my head
12 November 2011
Tyler - It's definitely all in your head. Take pictures of yourself to assess your progress and don't rely on just looking down at yourself or looking in the mirror.
ahmed
i've read in some of your articles that you've been fighting an eating disorder for some time so i want to hear your opinion about my case: i've been a bodybuilding fanatic these last 2 years , i'm 18 now and and i have to say that i achieved a pretty good physique that i'm very happy with.But this last month i've discovered something that changed my entire perspective about bodybuilding and that is steroids.Before i use to think that all people that inspires me from sylvester stallone to phil heath were all natural and their physiques are very achieveble but i've seen documentaries such bigger faster stronger that clarified my thoughts and really discouraged me about what level i can attain while staying natural . All that stuff just sucked the motivation out of my mind and made me rethink about what i've been through the last 2 years from spending countless hours of reading articles from here and there, sticking to my nutrition plan without cheating , and going trough rigourous training regimen that made others around me tell me that i'm addicted... Then here comes my problem , this last month i 've develloped a very complicated eating disorder called bullimia : in fact i'm no longer interested in training and now i will sit down and eat chocolate, ice cream,potato chips like i'm in an eating contest hwile enjoying my time and saying why was i depriving my self this long,then after eating large amount of food for hours i'll go to the toilet and just try to vomit hoping to limit the damage.This situtation just happened time and time over again which really made me so worried about my health .
Tyler - I'm very sorry to hear that you have developed an eating disorder. Just because the people you looked up to for inspiration and motivation take steroids shouldn't stop you from trying to achieve your best possible physique. Naturally you can build a great physique. You should consult with your physician about your health and eating disorder and get that taken care of. Good Luck.
Mentally Present
I hope everyone had a great weekend. I did my usual of getting my workouts in and watched the UFC heavy weight title fight. I'm a fan of Dos Santos so I was happy to see him win. I've also been playing the new Call of Duty MW3 and I love it! If you have ps3 add me on PSN my screen name is tydavin615. This will be my second week of my cutting process. There are some adjustments to my nutrition and workouts. I am really excited to see the outcome of all of this hard work!
11/9/2011
One thing I wanted to touch on that I've spoke about before is being mentally present during your workouts. The power of the mind is incredible when training. Your mind will always start to give out before your muscles will. ALWAYS before sets take a few deep breathes and give yourself a pep talk. Some things I always say to myself is "How bad do you want this" "Your not going to get anywhere being weak" "you got this..this is light". I had to help out some power lifters in between my sets to hold a board for them as they were doing their bench presses. They were pressing anywhere from 600 to over 700lb after I would see that my leg presses didn't feel so heavy. So don't let your mind play tricks on you and tell you that you can't or you need to stop because of the pain towards the end of the set. Pushing through that pain is what will push your body to a new level that you thought was not achievable.
In my last leg workout I did I finished them off with fst-7 on the hack squats. Give it a try in your next leg workout..it was brutal. I used 2 plates on each
7 total sets for 10 reps with 1 minute break in between each set.
Happy Veterans Day!
Thank you to anyone and everyone who has and still serves in our military. You are all heroes and thank you for keeping us safe!
Questions – 11/11/11
Dec 2007 - Rick Day NYC
Adam
non-fitness related question, what is your Xbox Live gamer tag? I recently forced myself to buy MW3 due to the fact that I cant sit still long enough to relax and I needed some rest in my life. First video game I bought in two years and first time I sat down for longer than an hour in about the same amount of time outside of sleeping.
10 November 2011
Tyler - I have a ps3 and my screen name is tydavin615
Yaseen
Hey Tyler i hurt my IT band playing tennis and unfortunately I have not been able to squat or do any leg machine except single leg press/extensions/curls for my right leg. I have noticed that my right leg is becoming much larger than my injured left one, which would be expected. thoughts on whether or not I should keep training my right leg or just leave them be to prevent them from becoming asymmetrical. thoughts?
10 November 2011
Tyler - I've have to deal with leg injuries before, sprained my ankle twice, a couple of knee minor knee injuries. I completely just took time off from training legs all together until my injuries were healed and was able to train both legs.
James
Tyler, Was curious to your opinion to fruit and fructose, should it be consumed and when?
9 November 2011
Tyler - fruit is fine if you keep it to one piece a day. I would have it earlier in the day either with your first few meals or in between them.
James
Tyler, Thanks again for all your question and answers. Today's question comes as if you could tell us more about the benefits of pre and post workout nutriton. I have started doing an intense program and am trying to eat somewhat paleo.(I don't eat gluten and the only exception for stuff is supplements being whey and perhaps dexotrose if you reccomend it) Is an insulin spike necessary pwo? Should lean chicken and a sweet potato an hour before be a good preworkout? and then post work out I take whey but should i consume another sweet potato a slower gi carb? or should i take Dexotrose with my whey? I am currently about 175 pounds at 12 %bf I want to get around 10 if not under and get up to 185 by the spring. Lastly, how much 30 grams of whey and how much of the carbs you reccommend? Thanks
Tyler - Pre and Post workout nutrition is essential. lean chicken and a sweet potato is a perfect meal before your workout. I like to keep have my meal 30-45 minutes before hitting the gym but an hour is fine. If your goal is to gain muscle mass then I would have your dextrose mixed with whey as soon as you finished weights then 30 minutes after that shake have a whole food meal of lean chicken and a slow carb source.
Evolution
17 years old
I used to hate lifting weights for school basketball. I would always skip and half ass the majority of my workouts. As a result I was weak and had no self confidence on the court. I didn't play my senior year. If only I had the dedication to workouts as I do now. This was a year before I got serious about lifting and wanting to put on mass. At the time I was eating like a bird. I remember my daily meals were a bowl of cereal before school, school lunch, a pop tart and a cold mocha for snack then whatever my mom would make for dinner. Now wonder I was only 175lb and I had already grown to 6 foot 3.
2007 - Gold's Gym Roanoke,VA
After about 3-4 years of solid lifting and eating this was the result. A few months before this picture I was my all time heaviest at 255lb and was cutting down to compete at the Universe Weekend show in Miami in June of 2007. In this picture I weighed around 225-230lb still quite a bit of body fat. Still wasn't educated on proper nutrition or proper cardio. At the time giant sets became the craze to do made popular by Ifbb Pro Milos Sarcev. I remember people would make jokes as to who would throw up first on our leg days. My training partners were Ben Bowles and Cris Edmonds.
This picture was from my very first photo shoot set up by Adam Silver of Silver Model Management in Miami FL at Universe Weekend. I ended up placing 25th out of 75 guys. I didn't know anything about modeling or photo shoots. A few months after this I went on to book my first job and got the cover of the Under Armour catalog.
Roanoke,VA - 2008
In 2008 I made the decision to take a step into "The Darkside" of the things and do my first and ONLY cycle of steroids. I had always contemplated using them because I had the mentality that I just wanted to get as big as I could fast. Patience is something I've had to learn over the years. Although I didn't do a mass gaining cycle I put on some quality size. I did it for 8 weeks and felt like an animal in the gym. Strongest I've ever been. Still at the time I wasn't as educated about nutrition and cardio as I am now. I weighed around 220-225lb in these 2008 pictures. A few months before I had done this was when I had spoke with my friend Whitney Reid and he had referred me to his trainer Hany Rambod. I then spoke with Hany on the phone but at the time could not afford him.
Roanoke,VA - 2008
So after I had went out to California to shoot for Men's Workout magazine and Exercise and Health I came back to Roanoke with the intentions of still doing fitness and continued the "bodybuidling" lifestyle. In late 2008 early 2009 I had made a trip to NYC and ended up booking a couple of jobs. If anyone knows about NYC the fashion industry rules. I wanted to be a part of the "cool kids" since I had got caught up in the club scene and everyone looked like skinny fashion models. I had been told by my agency that I had the face for fashion and there was a lot more money to be made than fitness but I had to lose the fitness body. So I figured this would be the perfect opportunity for me to get out of Roanoke and move to NYC to pursue modeling full time. As soon as I got back to VA I started the pursuit to lose my fitness body and get skinny. What the hell was I thinking?!? I can look back now and say this but everything happens for a reason and if I didn't experience what I had then maybe I wouldn't be where I'm at today. As a result of me starving and abusing alcohol this is what I looked like which ended in me battling with an eating disorder.
Oct 2009 - NYC - Major Models Agency office
Fast forward to 2010 and I had moved out of NYC got my health back in check and picked up the weights again. I went back to what I knew best. I started this website in November 2010 and still kept in contact with my agent Jason Kanner which had left Major Models and started his own agency called Soul Artist Management. In the back of my mind I still had goals of shooting with Bruce Weber (a famous fashion photographer). So I went to NYC for a weekend trip in December 2010 and shortly after that realized that working with Bruce Weber was not going to happen and fashion really wasn't in my heart at all anymore. I weighed 195-200lb in these pictures.
December 2010 - Taken the day before I left for my NYC trip
It's been close to another year that has past. Man does time fly by. Through many different experiments with dieting and trying different methods of training (everything has been posted in my workout section and personal nutrition log) I got sick of doing the guess work and decided to hire my trainer Hany Rambod. Through my whole journey I have never felt the way I do now. I think a lot has to do with being more mature now and realizing what I want and do not want in life. I'll be doing some shoots very soon and I'll keep everyone updated as soon as I know more. Here are a couple of picture that were taken on Halloween. I weigh 228lb in these pictures.
10/31/2011 - Nashville Athletic Club
10/31/2011
Categories
Shoutbox
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- Kevin
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Glad to see that you are back and training again. Looking forward to the youtube videos and website updates.
- 13 June 2012
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- will
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looking forward to your new members section. sorry some miss what you are doing for your readers
- 11 June 2012
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- w george
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if parked, car cover helps protect the paint, know how it feels to be away, return only to find it covered
- 8 June 2012
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- w george
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sorry to have that happen
- 8 June 2012
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- Sidhu Rengaraj
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i'm 90 KG with 175 cm tall..i would like to reduce 10 kg.please do suggest me to do in effective way tyler
- 5 June 2012
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- will
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wonder if a three day rotation works in exercising giving muscles more time to recover
- 2 June 2012
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- Jack
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What is your cutting ratio like? Protein:Carb:Fat?
- 1 June 2012
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- Mike
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Any suggestions on how I can get my chest to really pop? Thanks Tyler! Huge inspiration!!!
- 31 May 2012
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- Ash
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hey bro, quick question, if i decide to do an empty stomach cardio in the morning for bout 35-40min, would i need a post workout meal after that or would breakfast count as the "post workout meal"? i know you also recommended taking BCAA's before morning cardio, which i will be doing, your advice would be great
- 29 May 2012
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- Andrew
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What kind of cardio do you recommend? HIIT or low intensity?
- 28 May 2012
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