4 Reasons You’re Not Gaining Muscle & The 1 Solution Every Guy Needs (2/4)

Part 2: Gut Health for Muscle Wealth

Yeah, yeah abs are revealed in the kitchen, but could motivation be as well? What about the rest of our muscles, can they be from the kitchen as well?

Well hug your mother or lover because they most certainly are. And if you cook for yourself then you can slap yourself on the back next time you skip the drive thru. We’re here today to let you know, Gut health is always going to be in style for your bodybuilding goals (long past the expiry date of mcdonalds 💀).

Without your nutrition dialed in, no amount of ab work will let them shine for all to see, this you hopefully already know. Yet, abs are not the most important part of your gut, because it’s truly the inside that counts (cue magic rainbow and other happy visuals) when you’re trying to build muscle fast. 

Unfortunately we still see plenty of young dogs neglecting their nutrition and gut health for the sake of the mighty opportunistic pig like, see-food-bulk, you see “food”, eat it, and think (sold separately) later. It's like they've swallowed so much bro-science eating advice with their C4 Ultimate they couldn’t even tell you how their gut feels without consulting the IIFYM (if it fits your macros) *definitely not on steroids* fitness guru.

Regardless of whether you're a strength athlete, bodybuilder, powerlifter, a fighter or Recreational Lifter, your nutrition WILL make or break you over the long run. If most of your diet comes from nutritionally dead foods, like those frozen microwavable plastic foods, your gut becomes deprived and depressed from the lack of essential nutrients and vitamins it needs to thrive. Next step is it becomes inflamed and all of sudden your scared to laugh because you just might Sh*t yourself. You don’t know what it is, but whatever you eat runs through you faster than Usain Bolt in the 2008 olympics.

PS: passing smelly gas is not normal, it is not healthy and is most certainly a symptom of something you don’t need fermenting in your gut. Fermentation is supposed to happen BEFORE you eat something, not after. 

Over time, the digestive system becomes less and less efficient until it finally decides to give up. A bloated stomach is just nature's way of letting you know that your digestive system has given up on your mind’s ability to detect what to eat. Now, just imagine what happens to your performance when that bloated gut is depressed from churning garbage all day and night? Studies show that when this happens we effectively starve the rest of your body of its nutrients stores for survival. This is a process called Catabolism. Think starving African children with expanded guts.

Got the picture? Good, you live in a first world country, you have the power (and money) to change that image of yourself.

Poor gut health has been linked to negative effects on the brain, your sleep, and even your mood - quick little side note, but did you know that more than 20% of inflammatory bowel disease patients experience sleep issues and poor mental health[6]? The links are clear as daylight that our guts act as our second brain, and yet some “doctors” have their head so far up their own ass they’ll never see deadlight and still tell you your naturopath/practitioners “opinion stinks of no evidence” without realizing their own position (typically, fat, ugly and rich off drug sales).

So if your gut is in poor health, your mood and mind is in poor health and it’s having a hard time digesting and absorbing food, how will you build muscle in such a suboptimal state? How will you recover from your workouts and get stronger? Well, it would definitely be harder than it needs to be IF even possible. I’d put myself on the stand and preach that you will not get any results until you address this first. If this is plucking at any strings in ya let it guide you to your truth and freedom. 

Gut bacteria plays a crucial role in human health, breaking down, delivering and synthesizing the nutrients we eat. For example, Vitamin K which plays a role in cell growth and exercise capacity. Probiotics might be the most vital element of future health care in private markets due to their potent force in aiding in almost all forms of disease & performance. Go ahead and google Dr. Nigel Plummer, world leading expert if you want to tap into the source of the Probiotic Sauce. Don’t expect the public market to do the same, it’s far too quick to help you.

The right answer is to eat gut healthy foods that promote a healthy gut (damn, shocker). You might not notice the effects until you start eating better for a couple weeks, but the changes in how you feel and perform will be profound. Likely they will also be instant, but if not don’t throw in the towel, you might just be starting from below hell, and that’s ok. Actually that’s F*ck**g fantastic and I couldn’t be more impressed by someone who’s walked through hell only to walk ALL THE WAY BACK UP THE HILL to heal themselves (and build mountains of muscle along on the path)

 Another big Gut Health point to dive into is your intestines wall’s permeability. Imagine if the pores on your skin were 10x the size. Pretty easy to imagine how often you’d get acne & black heads popping up right? Well without the resources that permit your body to maintain a healthy gut lining, you unintentionally creating an autoimmune reaction. AKA an Anti-Gains Reaction of pulling your food away from building muscle and towards fixing the leaky gut wall. Without a secure and happy gut, you won’t absorb any of the nutrients your muscles require to grow, even if you’re eating the right foods after eating too many of the wrong foods. 

The result of poor nutrition choices will be, you won't gain larger and stronger muscles, you won’t recover and feel good, and will be forever stuck in a suboptimal state of pain without gains.

In the long run, an optimal nutrition strategy is one that ensures you can maximize your recovery and growth from workouts/training sessions while also ensuring good gut health. Not one that makes your tongue to backflips and somersaults. 

Eliminate anything that comes in a box and opt  for home cooked meals.

Aim for organic foods as much as possible, and try to get your hands on foods that are fermented. Fermented vegetables, for example, can be a great source of Vitamin K2 and probiotics. 

Lastly, avoid processed foods like the plague because they are the modern day plague. They are pretty much devoid of any and all nutritional value and can really screw up your gut health.

So remember, all your muscles not just your abs are made from the kitchen!