#GROWvember, Part 2

The human condition teaches us, at the very least, that growth is uncomfortable. Childbirth, the growing pains of adolescence, building new muscle–they presuppose discomfort as a necessary component of progress.
As such, it is a fool’s errand to ever expect growth to come easily. You’ll never run the world sitting on your ass. But just because your goals won’t come with ease, that doesn’t mean your daily work need be complicated.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, so as we endeavor to craft and compile a list of working class, blue collar nuggets of wisdom to get you gaining muscles, there is very little Whole Foods, holier-than-thou, fancy boy, fitspo bullshit.
What there is, is real world practicality, decades of life experience and a few thoughts and ideas that might be seen as radical in their honesty–most especially in an industry known for science fiction and subterfuge.
Here’s yet another grouping of provocatively pragmatic #GROWvember tips, tricks and tools designed to properly propel you into the mass-gaining months beyond the Winter solstice…

The OG Mass Stack

A man-sized PB & J and a glass of milk. It gets no more tasty, rugged and effective.
One of the best pieces of advice you can give anyone looking to add mass, from young athlete to late bloomer, and everyone in between is so simple, yet can be so difficult. Eat. Eat more food. And when you’re done eating… Eat some more. Lift heavy. Lift hard. And EAT. Today’s #GROWvember tip is an OG working class mass-builder… A “stack” that involves stacking slices of bread. Can’t gain size? Try a double-decker peanut butter and jelly sandwich on potato bread, with a tall glass of milk, every night before bed. Simple. Cheap. Delicious. Nutritious. Smash that on the daily and we dare you not to grow.

The $0.58 Powerhouse

Supplement for maximum natural mass and strength on the tightest monthly budget.
Today’s #GROWvember tip is one that most supplement companies wouldn’t be too eager to share. But we aren’t just a supplement company. For about $0.58 per training day, you can easily add what is one of the most effective and powerful, well-documented and thoroughly researched ergogenic aids ever conceived of, to your program… Creatine Monohydrate mixed with simple sugars postworkout. Like the straight out of the ‘90s stack of grape juice mixed with a 5 gram teaspoon of bulk pure creatine mono. Simple. Old school. Incredibly effective for adding size and strength. All for the bargain basement price of about $10 per month. Save your dough on flashy promises and science fiction. And get your weight up.

The OG 3 Ingredient Gainer

Want to get big? You need nutrient dense calories that are easy to consume.
In the name of stripping away all the bullshit, this #GROWvembertip again takes it back to the working class hardgainer roots. With a three ingredient, delicious, old school shake that will easily add calories you need to boost growth. Feel free to add whey and peanut butter, but don’t be afraid to keep it simple when it is time to lift heavy and pack on raw mass. Nothing beats the homemade banana milkshake—whole milk, vanilla ice cream and a ripe banana. Add one of those per day to your high protein whole food diet and let us know if you ever feel the need to buy a commercial weight gainer again. Remember, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

Respect the Muffin

The heaviest, hardest training requires fuel. Don’t be scared to be a true #snacksman.
Today’s #GROWvember tip is an ode to the preworkout snack courtesy of @poulsenstrong and @dirtmalone On your quest to add size and strength, the opportunity to take in easily-digested snacks is one that can pay dividends in terms of fuel for your training. Whether it is a muffin, some fruit or a bowl of cereal, utilize the preworkout snack to power your heavy training. Don’t sleep on your preworkout fuel. Drink your VICE. And respect the muffin.

Keep a Training Journal

Write it down. Refer to it. Let it guide and motivate you. The only dude you really have to beat, in yourself last week.
Whether online or in an old school notebook, today’s #GROWvembertip is to keep a training journal. There’s no better way to chart progress, re-center goals from week to week, and to hold yourself accountable, than by documenting your workouts regularly in written form. You can’t know where you’re headed if you don’t know where you’ve been. Put numbers on the board and chart your course, by picking up a $2 composition book and keep a training journal.

Leave No Leftovers Behind

With great abundance comes a responsibility to never waste your blessings. Want to get big? Weights more. Waste less.
There are people starving on this planet. And in the season of giving thanks, know that in our country alone, we waste $160 Billion per year in food, throwing it all away. That’s why you better smash every leftover you’re so lucky to have in the fridge from Thanksgiving, clean your plate and pick that bird dry. Because you ain’t that big, and you ain’t that rich, to be throwing away perfectly good food. There are folks in our world who would kill to eat out of your trash can. So if it ain’t moving, slap it between two slices of bread and get your weight up. ‘Tis the season to leave no leftovers behind.