Today’s guest blog is by my good friend Morris – nature lover, serial gay bear dater, and mountain biker.
Morris approached me recently wanting to write a blog about muscle bears and fitness, so I said, “Sure, go for it!”
So what you are about to read is more from the perspective of a guy who loves his muscle bears. (see pic – not that muscular, but a fan nonetheless)
I really couldn’t disagree with him more, but he’s a feisty young fellow and he proceeded to harp on me for not wanting to promote a fit and healthy lifestyle. S
o, regardless of my personal tastes, I *promised* him I’d let him do a guest blog, and, to be honest, he’s probably right about some of this stuff.
We all need to look out for our health. Take it away Morris! — CBM
Hey guys, Morris here.
Ok, so…Fitness and health; these are two things that many people today are just not too keen on. This applies to both straights and gays.
Let’s be honest, there are quite a number of gay bears out there who for lack of a better phrase, have …well, completely let themselves go.
This is exactly why the misconception that our community is made up of only double-chinned, hairy men with bulging middle-sections is so entrenched.
You and I however know different. There are many superbly beefy gay bears out there.
Muscle bears (sigh).
In fact over the years I have seen an increase in the number of ardent gym-going bears.
This makes me very happy.
Whether you have recently taken to body building, are planning to or have been doing it for some time, you are going to want to read on.
Get That Muscle Bear Tone
I know burgers, pizzas, hot dogs, fries etc taste good; in fact my mouth is watering just writing about them.
Then again, my metabolism is through the darn roof, so I can’t even put on weight, sadly for some. 😉
However if you want to replace that extra lard with lean muscle you are going to have to take it easy on the fatty stuff; but you already knew that didn’t you?
For some time, the trend in the gay bear community has been that of consuming high-calorie foods as a way of preserving our characteristic huge figures.
Well I am here to inform you that it is possible to stay big without eating junk food (i’m sobbing while saying this).
In fact, anyone who knows anything about putting on muscle mass knows it must be done without eating Doritos!
The secret to building muscle, as you might know, lies in consuming a good amount of lean protein everyday – and working out of course.
The harder you hit the gym the more protein you should consume.
The best sources of lean protein are poultry, fish, lean beef, pork, dairy and eggs.
If you are not a meat-eater you can get your protein from soy, although soy is rumoured to increase your estrogen, and my cousin eats soy and it almost kills him, soooo.. maybe avoid soy?
As well, you should however be careful about this particular option because of the whole GMO issue. Beans are also a great source of protein.
Protein is however not the only thing you need to make the transition from chubby bear to muscle bear.
For you to be able to stay in the gym long enough to achieve meaningful results, you need to provide your body with sufficient fuel.
BTW, check this guy out. Nice switch from smaller guy to bigger guy…muscle bear style!
Back to the mission at hand. So, in other words my lovely bears, you need carbs; lots of them.
There’s this nonsense that some so called health and fitness experts have been peddling around. Basically what they are saying is that, for a person to live a healthy life they have to a eat low-carb diet.
The term that best describes this claim is B.S.
Take it from me, carbs are good for you. Do not, I repeat, do not take heed to what these ignoramuses are saying.
Carbs – Fact and Fiction
There are two types of carbs basically; simple carbs and complex carbs.
Try as much as possible to avoid simple carbs because they promote fat storage and insulin imbalance in the body.
In addition to that, the energy boost you get from them is only short-lived.
So for example if you consume simple carbs during breakfast, hit the gym and then head to work; you will find yourself feeling hungry hours before lunch.
Some sources of simple carbs include soda, corn syrup, white pasta, white bread and basically anything that is made from white flour.
Complex carbs on the other hand will leave you feeling energetic and satisfied for many hours.
Unlike simple carbs which are stored as fat when in excess, complex carbs are stored as glycogen which acts as an energy reserve.
Some of the best sources of complex carbs include whole grain breads and pasta, nuts, seeds and yams.
Always load up on complex carbs before every workout otherwise you will run out of steam midway.
You also cannot ignore your fruits and veggies; just like mommy or daddy or grandma used to tell you back in the day.
I’m going to be very honest with you; this whole business of vitamin supplementation is totally unnecessary in my opinion.
If you have been lifting seriously for a while then there’s every chance that you have been taking a multi-vitamin pill every other day so you probably think this statement is crazy.
Please get me right; I’m not saying that taking multivitamin supplements is a bad thing; not at all.
What I’m saying is that there’s a much better and cheaper alternative.
Fruits and vegetables are laden with all the vitamins and nutrients your body needs to maintain a high level of athletic performance and generally keep you healthy.
My favorite post-workout fruits are apples, bananas, strawberries, grapes and pineapples (whenever I can find them).
Of course, I’m still working on my size.. I may not be bear enough for some of you.
Building mass, bulking up
Now that I have touched on the issue of multivitamin supplementation I think it would only make sense to discuss protein supplementation as it is more popular in body building circles.
I know many fellow bears who take a few scoops of whey powder after every workout.
Why; because they want to build lean mass fast. Let’s get one thing clear; this stuff works pretty well when used correctly; that I can attest to.
I know you have already sensed a ‘but’ in the above statement; well here it is: BUT it won’t make any sense for you to use it if you are already getting sufficient protein from your diet.
In fact eating too much protein can prove detrimental to your health and more specifically the kidneys.
However, if you are a vegan bear I would definitely recommend whey powder since you may not be getting enough proteins from your diet.
Now I need you to understand one thing, making the shift from fat bear (sorry guys) to muscle bear is not going to be easy; that I can promise you.
You need to be super consistent and strong-willed. I’m talking about hitting the gym 2 to 3 times every week for months on end.
The bottom line however is that it is possible. My advice is that you find a good gym and most importantly a fellow bear to train with.
If you are a muscle bear and happen to spot a fellow bear starting out in the gym, don’t try to prove how much better you are than him; spur him on, after all weren’t you in his shoes at one time?
Anyway, thanks for reading folks, maybe I’ll be back again one day to do another guest blog… — XO Morris
