Crawdaddys vs. The Boiling Crab vs. The Kickin Crab. Cajun seafood review

        So I'm a big fan of seafood and I figured I should mention that since it's a good low-fat source of protein, in case you didn't already know. I especially like Cajun seafood and I go to restaurants occasionally to eat it. So I want to talk about these three restaurants because 2 of them I'd recommend and then there's one I would not. So my top two in order would be 1. Crawdaddys, this was the first of the 3 that I went too and I think it may have even been the first time I had Cajun shrimp. Typically I get a pound of the Cajun shrimp "mild" and with NO butter. And also the Cajun French fries. That's usually enough for me but one time I ate 2lbs of shrimp there once. I love shrimp. And I'd say they have the best Cajun fries of the 3. Also I'd say Crawdaddys is spicier than the other two places. Their "mild" is going to be spicy enough for someone who doesn't eat spicy food often. Their "medium" is pretty hot, and that's the hottest I've gone and would go. Even their Cajun fries are hot compared to boiling crab. I've also tried the king crab legs here and they were pretty good. I believe I also got the lobster one time and that was good too. However, I wouldn't recommend the crawfish, they were pretty undersized and a fucking chore to shell them. Aside from that, it was a fair price for everything I'd say.

2. The Boiling Crab. So I went here one day to try it out and it was pretty good. I got the 1lb of Cajun shrimp "mild" with no butter and the Cajun fries. So here was the only difference I noticed, the "mild" was like almost half as spicy as the "mild" at crawdaddys. And also the Cajun fries were not as spicy as the ones at crawdaddys. They were good, just not as spicy. I went back there a second time and this time got the "medium" spicy Cajun shrimp, but this time it still was only equal to the "mild" shrimp at crawdaddys. So I was slightly annoyed by that, but next time I will know to get one level up. Prices were about the same as Crawdaddys.

      Ok lastly, the one I don't recommend is the kickin crab. I tried this place last out of all 3 and let me say this place sucks for the Cajun shrimp and even the Cajun fries. I mean how the fuck can you mess up Cajun fries, it was ridiculous.
       So I went to this place one day and I order 1lb Cajun shrimp and Cajun fries. Now I will say considering how few people were eating there, the food took a while to come out. So first they brought out the fries. Now I get these fries and I look at them, no joke, these things were like as thin as spaghetti pasta, I was like wtf! So I grab a clump of these things and start eating them. They weren't even fucking spicy! So at this point I'm already disappointed, but the shrimp still hadn't come. Finally they did. So I dig in and start eating. So as soon as I taste these things I'm like wtf!!! Not only were the shrimp not spicy but the sauce tasted like it was fucking pasta sauce! Like some ragu ragusto shit. So I'm sitting there by myself eating this shit, thinking god dammit I knew I should have gone to crawdaddys or the boiling crab. So I just kept eating these pasta flavored shrimp thinking to myself, " well at least I'm getting protein from this, and I mean luckily they did taste like shrimp, fuck..."  I finished this crap, payed and walked out, very, very unsatisfied. Pasta flavored shrimp and spaghetti fries, at a Cajun restuarant, wow. So yeah don't go to this place it fucking sucks. Go to crawdaddys or boiling crab. And fuck you kicking crab! You guys fucking suck!!! I hope someone takes a huge shit on your doorstep.

How Marijuana enhanced my training

    Throughout the years of my on and off pot smoking I discovered that marijuana helped me learn things about training that I did not know before. Especially things that they don't usually explain in bodybuilding books or online, in videos, etc. And a lot of what I learned was due to marijuana's effects on the senses, which gave me a heightened awareness of how my body was feeling. This allowed me to develop an even greater mind muscle connection than I had before ever smoking weed. This heightened awareness helped me realize how to get the best muscle contractions on many exercises that I previously thought I was doing perfectly but wasn't. Also, I learned more about how much training volume I could actually handle. Whereas previously I would often be stuck and or plateaued for many months sometimes because I thought I was performing enough reps, sets, and exercises during my workouts but really was not. See sometimes I just didn't realize this even though I was already aware I needed to increase the amount of weight I was doing and change my workouts eventually. It's like how sometimes you just don't realize you need to change what you're doing to get results, or better results(if you're already getting some). We often get stuck doing the same things over and over just because that's what we are used too. Maybe in the past what we are doing did get us the results we wanted and that's why we keep doing it, but we often don't realize or don't want to admit it's not working for us anymore.

      This is where marijuana has helped me in the gym, it brought to my attention many details of working out that I just hadn't noticed before. And because of that I was able to understand more about what I was doing right and what I was doing wrong. For example, on arms training I always had a good understanding of how to train them correctly, but sometimes when I was high I'd pick up some dumbbells and start doing curls and realize, " Hmm, I'm actually not getting the full squeeze at the top." Or I'd do a set with the heaviest weight I would usually use and then right after I was like, " Wait a second, I could have done 2 more reps, and I'm just realizing this now while I'm high?.. Whoa..." So that's what I'm talking about as far as how weed makes you realize stuff in your workouts. And this is what helped me progress at a further rate than before. I mean it did take a few smoke sessions for me to know what I know now, and there's always more to learn. And I'm not saying you have to smoke weed to learn more about working out, I'm just saying it has benefits for some people. So there you go, that's my experience with marijuana and working out. Try it out if you want. I'd recommend being high at the gym when less people are there and less distractions so you can concentrate more and be focused on how your body feels. You can also smoke at home and workout there if you have your own equipment. Or you could do a bodyweight workout at home while you're high, which I like to do sometimes. Think of it as a type of meditation and just focus on how your muscles feel after a set of pushups or crunches. Also use this as a time to visualize the physique you are trying to build and work on your weaknesses.

       Another thing to bring up in case you're someone who likes to do cardio based workouts. You're probably thinking, " Won't this interfere with my breathing?" The answer is yes, a little bit and that's why I would recommend you use a vaporizer just so it won't affect your breathing much. During periods of my training when I was really trying to bring up my cardio I would often use a vaporizer before my cardio workout and really had no breathing issues. Or you can eat edibles, but that's another topic. And I'm not telling you to get stoned out of your mind, just use enough so your awareness is up. And do not drive to the gym while you're high. Just wait till you get there and smoke in the parking lot, or smoke and then walk there.

      

Recommended snack

Speaking of the vitamin shop from my last post, before I forget. If you haven't tried these ostrim snack sticks I'd recommend them. 14g of protein and 1g of sugar per stick. Its like a healthier beef jerky. It's made of beef and elk. Comes in 5 different flavors. I like the habanero, teryaki, and original. You can find them at the vitamin shop.(if you're lucky you might find them at Safeway, also some gyms sell them in the lobby)

Old pic of me 2015

One of my friends just sent me this old pic he took of me in 2015. Gotta remember those good times. Thanks Abel. I think I was about 195lbs 

The Most Helpful Supplement I've Ever Used

So I had been meaning to talk about this on here. Psyllium husk caps. So there's a story why I began using this and this goes back to when I was in High school. When I was 16-18 my understanding of nutrition really wasn't there. I thought I could just eat tons of meat, protein shakes, protein bars, and this alone would make my muscles grow. Well I was wrong, not only did i not make the gains I wanted, I also developed some serious constipation. Yeah it was unpleasant and I was so dumb I didn't even think I was doing anything wrong. So eventually I literally got cramps and I went to the doctor and they took an MRI and the doctor came back and was like "wtf have you been eating?" And I'm like " uh I just eat a lot of chicken, steak, some rice, some fruit, not really vegetables.." so I'll spare you the details but the doctor could tell I was suffering from some serious constipation. So she told me to start taking mirilax, which is that mild laxative you see at the store. She said take this for a few weeks and it should fix the problem. So I started taking it but it didn't help that much. I also started eating more broccoli and vegetables but at this point my digestive system was already too messed up. So I didn't really know what to do at that point and neither did anyone else including my doctor. So I was like "fuck..." after that I even tried fasting for half the day(for a few months) thinking if I put less food in my body then nothing could constipate me more. Which sort of worked but I wasnt getting enough protein to make gains! So then I was really frustrated and I really didn't know what to do. So literally years went by with me having this issue, sometimes I would shit normally but it never seemed to stay that way and I was eating enough fiber too...

So fast forward to when I'm 20 and I was still stumped about this. Till one day I was listening to Dave Palumbo's podcast on rxmuscle and he was talking about his fiberlyze supplement which contained psyllium husk and he was always boasting about how it made him and all his bodybuilder friends take perfect shits. And I was like damn must be nice. That's when I realized hey maybe this will help me. So I researched his fiberlyze supplement a little more, and then specifically the ingredient psyllium husk. I found out you can just buy psyllium husk capsules at the vitamin shop. So asked my doctor if it was a good idea to take this because some people are allergic to psyllium husk, but she said yeah it should be fine. So I bought it that day and started taking 4 caps with my dinner. Then the next day a took 4 caps with my lunch and then 4 caps again with my dinner. And let me just say the next shit I took after starting this was pretty damn good, nothing crazy, but it only got better from there. After a few days I started taking 4 caps(3 times a day). And I was pretty pleased with the results and my body finally started to feel normal again.

   After a few weeks I moved up to the maximum dose, 5caps-3times a day. And honestly it just worked even better. So I kept taking these for at least 3 months and took them pretty much the same times everyday. And I was able to go back to eating lots of meat like I used too, but this time I was eating more balanced meals with vegetables and eating 4-6meals a day, not just 3 large meals like I did in High school and didn't know wtf I was doing. 

   Eventually my bowel movements were so good, I actually starting missing a few dosages and things remained the same, so that's when I knew the problem was really fixed. I actually then stopped taking the caps and everything was normal, and throughout the following years I would just take them occasionally if I was eating a lot of red meat or if I started to feel constipated. So there you go, that's the story of how psyllium husk caps cured my problem and no other supplement has ever helped me this much. I don't know why my doctors didn't recommend this or even know about it in the first place. I don't have to take the caps anymore and I'm fine. Hopefully this story will help you if you are experiencing similar digestive issues. Just ask your doctor about psyllium husk before you start taking it.

Bodybuilders look horrible on stage with their spray tans

Has anyone else noticed that the amount of fake tan these competitive bodybuilders are using looks fucking horrible? As soon as this started, bodybuilding took a further downwards turn. I never saw Ronnie Coleman or Dorian Yates using excessive spray tan during their careers. Ok Ronnies probably a bad example, but even the black guys seem to have this spray tan on.  
I get that the tan helps show the definition but half these guys look orange. I'm sure this isn't going to change, but I had to say something.

One of my favorite on-the-go meals

Simple, but effective. 39g protein, 76g carbs, 6g fat, 4g fiber.

Tip for the intermediate bodybuilder regarding meal timing and hunger

So I want to share this tip for the intermediate bodybuilder who has been making progress for a few years and is on a solid workout plan and has at least a decent understanding of what they need to eat for muscle gain and fatloss. If you keep track of everything you eat, when you eat, and all your macros even better, that's a lot of work haha. Anyways after a while you are probably not going to have to write everything down like you used to because you're going to have it all memorized. Of course if you are prepping for a show or something that's different and you probably will have to write everything down, measure food, etc. So what I'm about to tell you is that at a certain point you are going to start knowing your body better, for example you will know how much carbs you need to eat to have enough energy everyday, and how much protein you need so that you don't lose muscle or strength. You will also learn how much food will cause you to gain fat and also what the bare minimum amount of food you need is to just maintain the condition you're in.

   So my tip is that if you are eating regularly throughout the day, lets say a meal every 2-3hrs(4-6meals a day) and you are used to doing this, you might find there is a certain occasion where you ate your meal as scheduled but you end up getting hungrier sooner than usual.(and I'm talking about if you are eating mostly clean foods, I'm not talking about that day you went to taco bell and had 7crunchy tacos and a fucking chalupa.) 

what this hunger feeling means is that your body needs more food at that point than you gave it. Usually this means you need a little more protein and maybe a little more carbs. Now for me personally I can sense if I just need a little more protein without any more carbs and I will be good till the next meal. Sometimes however I can tell I need both more carbs and more protein, in which case I will have another small meal like a few hardboiled eggs and a little brown rice(about 1 cup cooked)

And guys I'm basing this off of how the human metabolism is like a fire, you feed it enough to keep it "burning" you don't throw a bunch of extra wood on it with wet leaves and shit. That's just going to put it out.

So think about all this the next time you have that first, second, third or post workout meal and you feel really hungry like 30-40minutes later. This means you didn't give your body enough nutrients. And this goes especially for a day where you worked out a little harder than usual. You are going to feel it in your body ok. You broke things down a little more than usual and therefore need more nutrients to build it back up.

Also guys this advice is not for an occasion where you didn't or couldn't eat for 6 hours, in that case of course you are going to be starving, and that's not where this advice comes in ok. Of course if you starve all day you will be hungry, you already fucked up to begin with.(unless your goal was to do a fast or something, but thats not what im talking about here.)

   So there you go, if you're on a good meal plan but on a certain day you feel a little hungrier that means something. Pay attention to your own body and how it feels and functions and you will learn more about what works best for you.

How much Tuna can you "safely" eat?

Bodybuilders know that canned tuna is a great low-fat source of protein and contains omega 3 fatty acids which are important for heart health and brain function. However, because of pollution most fish contain some level of mercury which can be bad for you. Tuna contains less mercury than larger fish such as swordfish or shark, but it is still recommended that a healthy man not consume more than 14.5oz of tuna per week. According to all these studies eating to much tuna can lead to toxic levels of mercury to build up in the body, which can lead to nerve damage, brain damage, and nervous system damage. Guys, all I have to say about this is LOL!!! If all this were true id be paralyzed right now or fucking dead. If you know me well, you know I eat boatloads of canned tuna. There's been times I literally ate 5 cans in a day, that's 35ounces. That's more than double than the recommended amount for the week! And look at me, I'm still alive baby! and sporting a good amount of muscle maass!! I mean shiet currently I eat around 10 seven ounce cans a week. That's 70 ounces of tuna a week and I've been doing this for the last year and a half. Is that crazy? Maybe, but whose making gains? Whose keeping their body fat down with minimal effort? Yes me. So think about that for a second. When I was 21 I bought a workout/nutrition program from a well known bodybuilder at Golds, he said , " you like tuna? You can eat two cans a day." And I said, " isn't that bad for you to eat that much? Wouldn't that be too much mercury? Can you die from that?" And he replied, " Brandon, you could walk out the door and get hit by a bus.." and when he said that I realized there are a lot of other things out there that can kill you aside from tuna. So I said fuck it, I'm gonna eat as much tuna as I need to build my physique and stay lean. 

So there it is people, that's my take on eating tuna. Sometimes even my friends are like ," You can get mercury poisoning from that!" And then I have explain to them theres a lot of things out there that are more dangerous than eating tuna. And no, I'm not recommending you go start eating as much tuna as me, I'm just sharing my personal experience so you can learn something from it. 

Story from Today

Guys I want to share this story from today. I was hanging out with my friend Tony at the store earlier just talking, when all of a sudden I see this guy staring at us. I asked Tony, " who is that guy?" Tony says, " Oh that's my friend." I didn't recognize the guy but he comes over to us and he looks familiar. I said, " hey I think I know you." The guy looks at me and I can tell he recognizes me. Turns out I met this guy exactly a year ago when I was at my fattest weighing 238-240lbs. This guy, his name is Randy, was almost in shock lol. Randy turns to Tony and says, " Man this guy used to be fat!!" Lol and he was making all these gestures to Tony saying how fat my face and belly was, I was cracking up cause he was so surprised. He was like , " Damn man you look good." I was like , " thanks man, I really had to change and get back in shape. It took me 6-7months to lose all that fat." And I could tell this guy Randy was impressed.

 So the point of this story is that you should appreciate the honesty of people when they comment on how you look. Apparently Randy thought I was a fat ass when he first met me but didn't want to say that. But at the time I knew I was fat and didn't look too good. So to hear this guy today basically tell me I used to look like shit and then to see him so impressed with how I look now, was really a big compliment to me and I appreciated it. If you only listen to people who tell you what you want to hear and you aren't honest with yourself, don't expect to make progress with anything, especially fitness and bodybuilding. You will never see your flaws and therefore won't be able to fix them or atleast improve in some way.

Ed Corney Died Today

Fellas I don't know if you heard, but old school bodybuilder Ed Corney died today of a brain aneurysm, he was 85 years old. Ed was known for being one of the greatest posers onstage during his time. He was in the movie "Pumping Iron" and was one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's good friends. I was lucky to meet him at the same show I met ronnie coleman, in 2008, where he was selling his old magazines and t-shirts. He was a pretty friendly guy and it is sad to hear this guy died today on the first day of the new year. Rip Ed.

My new favorite sauce, Chili Garlic Sauce

I just started using chili garlic sauce and I have to say its a new favorite of mine. Usually I alternate between tapatio or cholula but this will be my new addition to my sauce arsenal. Chili garlic sauce contains no sugar and it literally says 0calories on the nutrition label. This makes it a great sauce to use if you are like me and try to keep your body fat down, or at least try not to eat things that will make you gain fat. This sauce tastes great on chicken, tuna, rice, and even on salads. And any bodybuilder knows that something that can make those foods taste better is very useful.

  As far as spiciness this sauce is not as spicy as tapatio, but more spicy than cholula. Also it has the chili pepper seeds in it which adds a nice texture to the sauce.