Top 22 Ways to be BUILT LIKE A BADASS!

Thursday, 05 November 2009 12:47

#1 Squat heavy

#2 Jump rope

#3 Do chin-ups

#4 Bench heavy

#5 Run

#6 Sprint

#7 Jump

#8 Do push-ups

#9 Drink lots of water

#10 Perform barbell or dumbell complexes once a week

#11 Eat lean protein with each meal

#12 Deadlift

#13 Get 8 hours of sleep each night

#14 Eat lots of green veggies

#15 Perform high intensity "cardio"

#16 Incorporate high & low reps into your workouts

#17 Allow adequate recovery between workouts

#18 Don't EVER go on a low calorie diet

#19 Use the foam roller, tennis ball & lax ball to improve tissue quality and alleviate soreness

#21 Train like an athlete!

#22 Buy the "BUILT LIKE A BADASS" ebook and follow the program!

The wait is almost over! "BUILT LIKE A BADASS" will be released Tuesday, November 10th on our STORE page! Get ready to change the way you train forever!

-Joe D.

28 Comments

"Built like a Badass" ebook preview!

Thursday, 29 October 2009 23:51

During the past couple of days, my email and facebook message inboxes have been flooded with questions regarding the release of our "Built like a Badass" ebook.

"When will the program be released"?

"Who will benefit from the program"?

"What does the program consist of"?

"Is it similar to your 'Westside for Skinny Batsards' template"?

"Do I need to purchase any special equipment before starting this program"?

Due to popular demand, I decided to give some general information regarding the program before it's released. This will enable our readers to decide if they are "candidates" for the 'Badass System' ahead of time. I obviously can't give away any specifics, but the following info should give everyone a better understanding of our "Built like a Badass" ebook.

First of all, I'm very pleased to announce that the "Built like a Badass" ebook will be launched on or before Tuesday, November 10th. The ebook will be sold on our STORE page and only our STORE page at this time. I also want to clarify that this product will be an E-book. This means that immediately upon purchasing this product, you will receive an email with a link to the product. THE PRODUCT DOES NOT GET DELIVERED IN THE MAIL!! An e-book is a PDF file that you open and read on your computer. (You can obviously print it out and make it a "hard copy" manual if you like.) I just needed to clarify this because some people are still unclear about ebooks.

*By the way, if you're not a subscriber to our email newsletter, I strongly encourage you to sign up now (it's FREE)! It literally takes 5 seconds...you just need to type in your email address in the box at the top/right corner of this web page and click "Join". This will ensure that you receive an email notification the second the ebook is added to our STORE page!

Here's what Alwyn had to say...

About a year ago I was talking with my friend Joe DeFranco. The conversation quickly turned to business. (Joe is one of the few guys who has gained a lot of popularity because of his online presence, but he actualy makes a living in the real world training people. I love talking with guys in the industry that really fuc#ing train people - not just write articles about training people!) DeFranco's Training has become world-renowned for the results they've gotten training athletes - but Joe and I were talking about what we both felt was the most under-served market in the fitness industry --- the "washed up meathead".

Please don't get me wrong - the term "washed-up meathead" is not a derogatory term. It's a fun term for the former athlete who still loves to train. The guy (or girl) who used to be a competitive athlete and trained for sport, but has now retired, or is just playing on weekends. This group wants to stay ATHLETIC. They want to look better, feel better and perform better. But this group of individuals has run into some challenges. Here are just a few:

They no longer have the recovery ability that they once had. Many times, this is because they no longer do the mobility and conditioning that they once did for their sport. Their only "mobility" and "conditioning" is what they do in the gym --- and let's be honest, it's not much more than an after-thought once they finish their weight training. The problem is, they don't want to feel beat up from their training - they want to feel better. But, with the lack of flexibility/mobility and conditioning - many times their strength-training ends up doing more harm then good. This eventually leads them to give up training all-together.

Most "washed-up meatheads" also have careers and families that, let's face it - definitely come first. Because of this, many of them can only devote three or four hours per week to training. As a trainer/coach, if you can't get them physically fit in that time frame, they will walk out the door and go to another gym.

The other "problem" with this group is that they want their workouts to be fun and exciting. Because most of them have played competitive sports in the past, they like to compete. Since their competitive days are over, they want some new and exciting challenges in the weightroom. They don't want to walk in the gym and do the same, boring workout that everyone else is doing.

Finally, most people in this group are no longer training in state-of-the-art university or professional facilities. They are now bunched with "normal" people at "normal" health clubs or corporate gyms. This dramatically reduces their equipment and exercise selection options.

This group hasn't only been overlooked in the gym; they have been overlooked in terms of programs and information products online as well. But last week this all changed when Joe sent me a preview copy of "Built like a Badass". This program is the brainchild of Joe and his staff and it's for the exact demographic I have been talking about! I quickly went through it looking for every little detail. Is there enough heavy work? Is there too much heavy work? What about conditioning? Enough? Too much? How's the volume? Will someone feel better because of this? Look better? Perform Better?

This program passed with flying colors! It's sick. Seriously! Joe and his team really stepped up with this one. The exercises are unique and hardcore (just as you'd expect from a DeFranco program), but the loading and conditioning guidelines are smart enough that it'll build guys up, instead of breaking them down.

But if you're like me - talk is cheap - results are what matters. Well, this program passes on that count too - as this is exactly what Joe and his team do. This program isn't a magazine article where there is limited space, or you can only shoot five exercises because that's all the room they have for photos. This program is exactly what you'd get if you rolled into Dirtee Jerzee and trained with Joe and his team!!!! But, you're able to get this world-class information at a fraction of the investment!

Any former athlete, 'Average Joe' or police/fire/military personnel would be crazy not to pick this Ebook up when it's released!!

-Alwyn Cosgrove

I wanted to back up some of the things that Alwyn had to say with some more proof of the effectiveness of this program. Here's another one of our "test subjects" after completing the 12-week program...

BEFORE - 228 pounds

AFTER - 198 "Badass" pounds

The above "test subject" also improved from 11 chin-ups to 23 chin-ups during the 12 weeks...and on Week 11 of this program he came within 15 pounds of his all-time best deadlift (570 lbs.)! The most impressive thing about his 555 lb. deadlift was that he did it at a bodyweight that was 30 pounds less than when he deadlifted 570!!

As you can tell, this program isn't just about being built like a badass --- completing this program will definitely give you some "go" to go along with your "show"!

On a personal note, I was able to bench 315 pounds for 10 reps and floor press 140 lb. dumbells for 10 reps while on this program. I can't tell you how many years it's been since I was able to bench 315 for 10 -- and I've never gotten the 140's for 10 reps on dumbell floor presses before completing this program! I gotta tell you - I think the set/rep/percentage scheme we came up with for the main lifts on this program is THE best system I've ever used for the combination of size and strength gains! I'm obviously not going to reveal the system we created for the BADASS Program - so for now - all I can say is, "The film doesn't lie, kids"...

And when I refer to having "go" to go along with your "show", I'm not just referring to strength. We provide some unique "finishers" at the end of each workout that will take your conditioning beyond what it was back in your "playing days"! And one thing's for sure --- you will never be bored during the conditioning portions of this program! Our "BeZercher Barbell Complex" is just one example to back up my statement...

By the way, although we consider this program the "Rolls Royce" of Washed-Up Meathead programs --- you do NOT need a "Rolls Royce" caliber gym in order to perform the program! We purposely designed this program so anyone can perform it (in it's entirety) at any "regular" gym! If you have access to barbells, dumbells and a cable unit, you can perform this program! This program was designed and created for YOU...so we left no stone un-turned!

Now you know why I haven't updated this blog as frequently during the past couple of months...I wasn't slacking...I wasn't hiding...

I just decided to get off the computer and spend more time in the "lab" so we can give back to our fellow "Washed-Up Meatheads". We neglected them for way too long.

Fortunately, good things come to those who wait..

-Joe D.

10 Comments

Joe D. talks about leadership, Home Remedies and Great NFL Performances!

Thursday, 22 October 2009 23:05

Q: Joe,

I just turned 21 and i play division iii football in pa. I grew up in philly and have been partyin with my friends there since i was 13. Problem now is, I take my training and health very seriously. But all my friends want to do on the weekend is go out and get drunk or high, then stumble into a diner at 4AM and eat crap. Alcohol and drugs really mess with my training and the late nights on the weekends throw off my sleep cycle. What should i do boss? I don't wanna be a social outcast but at the same time i'm inhibiting my progress by going out like that. any response, even if its not on the site would be helpful. thank you

dave

A: Dave,

After reading your question, there was no way in hell I WASN'T going to post it on this site!

I'm going to give you a wake-up call brotha - YOU'RE A BULLSHITTER! That's right, I'M CALLING YOU OUT, SON! Do you really expect me to believe that you're "taking your training and your health very seriously" when you're telling me that you're drinking and getting high??? Now I'm not going to turn this into a "Don't Do Drugs" lecture because I'm sure you heard it all before. But, what I will tell you is that anyone worth a shit to me is NOT a follower. Call me cocky, but I was raised to be a LEADER, not a follower. I won't associate with followers or haters anymore - I only surround myself with other leaders and self-motivated people. And guess what? NONE of the people I associate with are losers, nerds or "social outcasts" (as you say)!

Here's a quick story for you...

I have a client that I've been training since high school. He's always been his "own person" and he's always been in the "cool" crowd - even though he doesn't drink and party a lot. You see, this kid never wanted to be "ordinary"...he always wanted to be "EXTRA-ORDINARY". Now don't get me wrong, he still goes out and he's very social, but unlike YOU, he doesn't abuse his body because he really "takes his training and his health" seriously. In fact, before this kid left town a couple months ago, I went to dinner with him and his girlfriend. After dinner, we hung out at the bar for 2 hours. While everyone else was drinking, he drank water. About an hour into the drinking he even excused himself, went out to his car, drank a protein shake, then came back in the bar and continued to have a great time with the rest of us. Not one person busted his balls because everyone knows this kid has a desire to be the BEST. He doesn't give a shit what YOU (or anyone else) thinks...and he doesn't give a shit if he doesn't "blend" with the crowd, either. Instead of following in other people's footsteps, he blazes his own trail. In fact, the morning after the night I'm referring to, he blazed his own trail to Houston, Texas.

Yes, the individual that I'm referring to is Brian Cushing. I'm going to assume that you and your friends think Brian Cushing is pretty cool. But guess what? He wouldn't be half as cool if he "blended" with your crowd. Because if he did blend with your crowd, he wouldn't be "Brian Cushing". He would be "just one of the guys"...and he sure as hell wouldn't be where he is today!

Now I'm not trying to say that if you stop drinking, you're going to make it to the NFL. But my point is that every person that I know that is successful in their field has been a LEADER. Leaders (regardless of their age or their profession) don't give a shit what other people say about them. In fact, when people start talking shit about you - that's when you know you've made it!

The choice is yours, Dave. If you truly want to start "taking your health and training seriously", you already know what you have to do. Drinking, doing drugs and staying up until 4AM obviously isn't going to help you accomplish your training and health goals. This doesn't mean that you can't hang with your boys or you're never alloud to have a drink. But if drinking and doing drugs continues to be a regular occurance for you, I will continue to call you a bullshitter.

Are you a follower...or are you a LEADER?

The choice is yours, Dave...

-Joe D.

Q: For Joe Defranco - this is a really random question but you seem to always have the answer so i'll give it a shot. every year during this time i get a nagging sore throat that feels like a knife is stuck in my throat. im not really sick but it affects my training because when i start breathing heavy my throat F'in KILLS!! I suck on cough drops all day but they don't seem to help. do you have any remedies or supplements that you or your athletes have used? sorry for this boring question but i thought maybe its something you deal with during this time of year.

PS - whens the release date of the ebook??? -frank

A: Frank,

Your question is actually an extremely common problem during this time of year - so don't worry about it being "boring". Hey, anything that affects our reader's training in a negative way needs to be addressed and rectified!

The old "knife in the throat" is something that can stick around for many days (or weeks) if you don't treat it properly. Now, I'm sure there are hundreds of remedies that people swear by, but all I can do is give you advice based on my personal experience. I learned this little gem from my dad during this time last year when I had the worst sore throat of my life. It affected my training and my sleep and basically drove me crazy. But then I used the magic "one-two punch" of apple cider vinegar and organic honey and my sore throat disappeared!

Before going to bed, take a nice swig of apple cider vinegar, tilt your head back and gargle for a good 30 seconds to a minute. Really gargle...don't half-ass it! After a good gargle, spit out the apple cider vinegar, but don't rinse your mouth out. Immediately take a tablespoon of organic honey and swallow it. (It will wash down some of the apple cidar vinegar, while getting the acidic taste out of your mouth.) Goto bed. FYI, your sore throat won't go away immediately. But when you wake up, it's almost like magic how much better your throat will feel! Give it a try!

Regarding our "BUILT LIKE A BADASS" ebook...

The ebook was completed this week! I will be editting it and putting some final touches on the Intro and FAQ section this weekend...then it's off to our web designer next week to be formatted, etc. I hate giving specific "release dates", but I can comfortably say it will be on this site and ready for sale before November is over!

One of our BADASS "test subjects" in action!

I'm really pumped for this ebook to hit the market! It will be THE training blueprint for meatheads that are looking to build muscular, athletic physiques...trust me!

The program is friggin'...well... BAD ASS!!

-Joe D.

I couldn't end this blog post without mentioning the incredible performances of Miles Austin & Brian Cushing during the past couple weeks of the NFL season!

Four short years ago, I conducted an entire lecture in Syracuse, NY, entitled, "The Miles Austin Project". My lecture revealed the training, nutrition, supplementation and psychological training that we were putting Miles through in preparation of his NFL workouts/interviews.

At this time, not many people had heard of this "longshot" from  little Monmouth College in New Jersey. Now, I hate to say "I told you so", but... I TOLD YOU SO! Everyone at my gym has been impatiently waiting for the Cowboys to give Miles a legit shot at wide receiver. We knew if he was given an opportunity, he would make the most of it. Well, two weeks ago, Miles got his first official start at wide receiver when Roy Williams was sidelined with an injury. All Miles did with his opportunity was break the ALL-TIME Cowboys single game record for receiving yards!

Miles caught 10 passes for 250 yards and 2 TD's! His 2nd TD was the game-winner in overtime to give the Cowboys a much-needed victory over the Kansas City Chiefs! I think it's safe to say that you'll be seeing a lot more of Miles this year!

Another performance that couldn't go without mention was Brian Cushing's performance last week against the Cincinnati Bengals. Cush recorded 9 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 2 pass break-ups and an incredibly athletic, game-sealing interception in the 4th quarter. That performance earned Cush the honor of AFC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK! He is the first rookie to receive that honor this year! He was also nominated for "Rookie of the Week" for the second time this season!

After 6 games, Cush is also leading the Texans in tackles with 48!

Nothing cooler than seeing these two great kids "make it"...

-Joe D.

15 Comments

BUILT LIKE A BADASS Teaser!

Wednesday, 07 October 2009 09:39

As we put the finishing touches on our "Built Like a Badass" ebook, I wanted to give you a sneak peak at what this program has done for one of our long-time clients. Many of you know Jeff Sica from the documentary, STRONG. The documentary revealed how Jeff overcame a life-threatening illness and now is on a mission to be the best he can be...in his career and in the weightroom! When the documentary was filmed, Jeff was 40 years old and in great shape...or at least we thought he was in great shape!

Jeff Sica during the filming of 'STRONG' at a bodyweight of 255lbs.

Over the past couple of months, we tweaked Jeff's training and made him one of our "experiments" when testing our "Built Like a Badass" Program. Here's a picture of Jeff training last week at a shredded bodyweight of 238 lbs.!!

Leaner, Stronger & more Athletic!

BUILT LIKE A BADASS...Coming Soon!

-Joe D.

13 Comments