Winter Bulk Plan

One of the toughest things to accomplish in the fitness world is a successful bulk. A main reason it can be so challenging is that everyone is different so there isn’t really a set-in-stone proper way to bulk. Now I am not one to say that I am in any way “bulky” but after changing my diet and implementing a similar lifting plan, the numbers on the scale and the weights in the gym went up. I have also never done the whole bulk-then-cut plan, rather a constant “lean bulk” (in Bradley Martyn’s words). Lastly, perhaps the most important thing about gaining muscle is a clean and healthy diet. It is certainly more expensive and time consuming but seeing results in the gym and feeling healthier on a daily basis is well worth the money. With that being said, provided along with a 5-day workout plan is a very basic nutrition plan.

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There is a lot of freedom with this workout plan as well. There really is no particular order in which the exercises should happen and will totally depend upon the user. “Core” days are totally up to the user as well. 10 – 15 minutes is all that’s really needed in addition to the exercises. As far as the macros for the nutrition plan are concerned, the most important thing is to consume your body weights’ equivalent of protein plus an extra 10-20%. So 1 lb. of body weight = 1 gram of protein. Don’t be worried about carbs and fat as much just as long your intake isn’t a ridiculous amount. Carbs are needed for protein synthesis so it’s okay to eat carbs.

Finally, if there is any confusion about exercises, the internet is one of the best resources to use in order to find “how-to’s” about workouts. I truly hope this plan works. At the least, I hope it provides inspiration or a spark for any who are stuck  in their current fitness plans. Besides, a change is necessary every once in a while.

 

 

 

Missoula Fun On A Budget

Free Local Concerts

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Top Hat Lounge is a great local venue. Through the upcoming months they offer many free shows including,

Friday, November 4th, 2016

Family Friendly Friday at the Top Hat Lounge in Missoula Montana

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mon, Nov 07, 2016

Wed, Nov 09, 2016

Sharin’ in the Groove

Sharin' In The Groove Phish Happy Hour at the Top Hat

Fri, Nov 25, 2016

Andrea Harsell & Luna Roja

 Missoula’s Best Drink Specials

Iron Horse Bar and Grill

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Martini Mondays: 5pm-Close
Any of Our Martinis $5

Shaken Tuesdays: 5pm-Close
Everything on the shaken and stirred list  $5

Wednesday: 7pm-Close
Blue Moon $3.50 and Skip & Go Naked $5​ 

Thursday: 9pm-Midnight​Two for One Well Drinks $3.50 

 

Thomas Meagher Bar

 

Pie Hole

Missoula’s new downtown pizza shop that gives you a bang for your buck! For all you late night munchers, Pie Hole is throwin’ dough Er’day from 11AM-3AM!

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The Roxy Theater

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For any movie lover that doesn’t want to pay the astonishing 12 dollars, The Roxy is a theater like non other. As you walk in THE ROXY has the Missoula vibe painted on its walls. I highly suggest anyone looking for cheap theatrical entertainment hit up the Roxy…. By the way they serve booze there too!

Hub Family Entertainment Center

The Hub Family Entertainment Center has 50,000 square feet of fun and excitement for the whole family.  The Hub is a perfect place to have birthday parties, team parties, corporate events including team building, graduation parties, day camp parties, and youth group events. GO KARTS, LAZER TAG, ARCADE, FOOD… Hell Yeah!  

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Your Weekly Dose of Nasty

Donald Trump’s “nasty woman” comment in the final US presidential debate, although intended as an insult, accidentally sparked an entire movement within the feminist community. Women everywhere are using the term to “celebrate feminine ambition, intelligence, and hard work”, according to Forbes. Regardless of the results, we all know how monumental this election is for women. Because, really, where would we be without a little nastiness?

So, for each day leading up to the 2016 Election Day, here are only a few of the nastiest women in history. Let them act as reminders of how far we’ve come… and how far we’ve yet to go.

Be sure to rock the ballets on November 8th.

Must Do New Zealand Adventures: South Island

Last winter break I did a winter session course to New Zealand. It is even more amazing than what is portrayed in The Lord of the Ring movies. It is literally paradise on earth, you have the best of everything. There are a range of climates from mountains, beaches, rainforests and volcanoes. No one-cent and five-cent coins, which means that most prices end in a zero, or are rounded up. Crosswalks have no lights so you can basically cross the road whenever you like, though there are a few exceptions in very busy areas. It doesn’t mean that you should stop watching for cars, not everyone stops for pedestrians. Restaurant bills are not delivered to your table you will either pay beforehand or have to go up to the register to pay. In some places they don’t keep track of what you have ordered; they will just trust you to tell them what you had. There is no tipping! There are also no snakes, venomous insects, scorpions and only has one venomous spider, which is very rare up to the point it has an almost mythical status. These are just a few things that make New Zealand even better. Though you can’t forget about the amazing sites and activities. Listed below are some must do adventures on New Zealand’s South Island, in no specific order.

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Queenstown is your typical tourist town, high prices and many people. Disregarding those things it is a very picturesque town on Lake Wakatipu with street performers, stores and restaurants lining the streets, a gondola and a beach. It is a great town to stay at for holidays, night life and shopping. There is also a gondola where you can get breathtaking views of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu.  Queenstown also has a mouth- watering burger joint called Ferburger. Their line is usually a half block if not a block long and their wide varieties of burgers are about the size of a young child’s face. The half-hour wait is soo worth it. To end, Queesntown is world-famous for adventure, this leads into my next topic…

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Since Queenstown is the tourist destination in New Zealand they offer a wide range of extreme activities such as skydiving, jet boating and bungee/bungy jumping. If you don’t know, jet boating and bungee jumping was invented in New Zealand. And many times we do spontaneous things while on vacation, so might as well do one of these activities. Jet boating is the ultimate water sport where you power your way through narrow river canyons. You all know what bungee jumping is, and there are two iconic spots to bungee jump a hour away from Queesntown. The first is Kawarau Bridge, a 43 meter (~141 ft) jump into the river below. It is one of the most popular bungee sites, attrackting thousands of thrill seekers every year. For the more daring there is the Nevis Bungy which is New Zealand’s biggest at 134m (~440 ft) above the Nevis River. There are age, weight and medical restrictions for many of these activities. Unfortunately, I ran into this problem at the Nevis jump, I was a few pounds short for their weight limit. At least I was allowed to travel to the jumping site that is held above the river by two wires to watch.

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Mount Cook is the highest mountain and longest glaciers in New Zealand. There is a lovely day hike (more like 4 hours) to a small lake at the base of the mountain. The hike is pretty flat and has several suspended bridges that are fun to bounce around on. The scenery is amazing, mountains, a river, and flora that were unlike anything I’ve seen. The flora actually somewhat reminded me or a Dr. Seuss book, there were rolling grass areas with these
spiky looking plants that shoot straight up in the air. The trail ends at the small lake which was the chalky white color with small ice blocks. There was a small rocky beach you can walk down to to get to the lake from the picnic area. I have to say, the hike to the lake was more enjoyable than the ending destination.

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Kaikoura is a very cute, small town that is on the ocean and has rocky beaches. Kaikoura itself wasn’t that outstanding as a town but it too had amazing views and was home to many Maori people, the indigenous people of NZ, consisting of 3% of the population. There is a Maori tour ran by a Maori that I thought was worth doing, to learn about their history and culture. Kaikoura is also a popular spot to go whale watching and swim with the dolphins. I was fortunate enough to swim with the dolphins and it is something that I will always remember. As I have never been snorkeling I really got the full experience in this activity. Everyone had to wear a head to toe wetsuits with goggles and snorkel. Since the suits were so buoyant there was no need for life jackets. This was an activity I highly recommend. You are delivered as close as possible to a pod of dolphins. The time I went there were 30 or more dolphins swimming around you,  it was awesome! If you are somewhat claustrophobic this might not be for you. Being encased in a wesuit add in being in the ocean you feel alone and closed in. Even I had a tiny anxiety attack. Also don’t worry if the dolphins move away you get back into the boat to follow them. The time I went we were on and off the boat 5 times before we headed back. And like many similar businesses if the weather is bad or no dolphins are to be found you get a refund and are able to reschedule.

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Christchuch is the largest city on the South Island. In 2010-12 Christcurch experienced devistating earthquakes which forever changed the city. When I visited the destruction from the earthquakes could still be seen around the entire city. This was eye-opening to see since in Montana earthquakes are almost nonexistent.  It was definitely surprising and heartbreaking to see all the damage left. But what surprised me the most was what the city did after the earthquakes. They turned a horrible natural disaster into a new beginning. All around the city there were little innovated places. One was an area of temporary trailer sized businesses, another a musical park made out of recycled material. There was an area testing out 3D printed designs to grow plant and shops made out of train cars. The street art all over the city was outstanding. I just happened to be there during the Spectrum Street Art Festival that consisted of street art, graffiti, video etc. all around the city.

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Abel Tasman is a coastal National Park that has several beaches and has a wide variety of Flora and fur seal rookeries and little blue penguin populations. It is usually recommended to plan a whole day just for this. There is a very easy trail that stretches along the coast that leads to several different beaches, depending on how long you want to walk. If wanting to stay overnight there are a couple of lodges and campsites throughout the park. I would recommend kayaking one way and walking back the other. By kayaking you get a better view of the seal rookeries and maybe a little blue penguin. You also get a better view of the smaller islands just off the coast. I kayaked to this small, somewhat secluded beach for lunch and relaxing and then walked back. If plan to go all day take water, sunscreen and a swimsuit. The burning time this far south is 10 minutes, yikes! There are water faucets available at some areas but they are more for washing and rinsing, not drinking. The water is so beautiful and clear it would be hard to stay away, hence the swimsuit. Warning the one bathroom that was at the beach I was at was awful, it stank to high heaven. Not sure this applies to all but approach with caution!

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Milford sound is within Fiordland National Park. This too is an all day trip. Even though from Queenstown it is located an hour away, straight across, due to road regulations in NZ getting there was more like a 4 hour trip. If you do a bus tour you pass through stunning landscapes including mountain ranges, glacier-carved valleys, crystal clear lakes and native rainforest. There are several things to do at Milford Sound such as, hiking, kayaking and cruises. The cruise was an ideal way to see Milford Sound. It is just over two hours, you get to see wildlife as well as the stunning waterfalls and steep mountain sides. The sights rival that of Glacier National Park, daresay, maybe even surpass those of Glacier.