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SWOLE: The Greyskull Growth Principles
Johnny Pain reveals his "secrets", the principles he uses to pack slabs of quality muscle mass on his clients without adding the fat in the process. Say goodbye to conventional "bulking" and "cutting", learn precisely how to structure and manipulate the dietary variables necessary to ensure that your mass gain experience is as productive as possible. Join the fight against obesity, get SWOLE!
80 pages, Paperback
First published August 3, 2012
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August 13, 2017
The author's workout program is fantastic but his nutrition advice and principles are lackluster at best. Don't expect to see any advice for vegetarians because he apparently doesn't know they exist. This is better than nothing if you know absolutely nothing about how to eat, but why settle for that when there are so many great resources online? Skip this and go to someone who is qualified on the subject of nutrition.
As far as "growth principles" go, there are really only two key things to know and you don't need to read a book on it:
(1) For maximum growth, you should eat at a small caloric surplus every day. Recent research suggests that if you're a total beginner, that surplus can be very very small or even just eating at maintenance will allow you to still gain considerably for at least a year.
(2) You must do (1) while getting optimal amounts of protein. 1g of protein per pound of lean body mass or between 1.5g to 1.8g per kg of body mass is just about right for everyone. Note that pre- and post- workout protein intake is essential for maximum protein synthesis: prolonged fasted training shouldn't be encouraged.
My thoughts on the whole "swole" thing: getting bigger is cool and all, but being healthy in the process is even better. If you're a bit smaller, who cares? Eat clean and nutritious foods for a healthy and strong body. JP agrees, but his definition of clean and nutritious foods isn't the same as mine (and nutritional science in general). I didn't even see him mentioning vegetables once, and he only gave a quick pass to eating one serving of fruit per day. He doesn't mention the nutritional powerhouse that are legumes, and instead advocates that all your protein come from animal sources.
His structure of eating many small meals every day is only important if you plan to become a pro. Most people would be fine with 4 big meals a day. Hell, some people have fantastic results with only 2 big meals and maybe one snack per day on an intermittent fasting program. His suggestion of not eating carbs for your last meal is also unhealthy and I would hate being in the place of someone doing this (carbs are life). Note that this is basically his opinion of what works and what doesn't. There is not a single citation in this book. If you aren't interested in evidence-based nutrition and that appeals to you, then you might find some pleasure in reading this.
As far as "growth principles" go, there are really only two key things to know and you don't need to read a book on it:
(1) For maximum growth, you should eat at a small caloric surplus every day. Recent research suggests that if you're a total beginner, that surplus can be very very small or even just eating at maintenance will allow you to still gain considerably for at least a year.
(2) You must do (1) while getting optimal amounts of protein. 1g of protein per pound of lean body mass or between 1.5g to 1.8g per kg of body mass is just about right for everyone. Note that pre- and post- workout protein intake is essential for maximum protein synthesis: prolonged fasted training shouldn't be encouraged.
My thoughts on the whole "swole" thing: getting bigger is cool and all, but being healthy in the process is even better. If you're a bit smaller, who cares? Eat clean and nutritious foods for a healthy and strong body. JP agrees, but his definition of clean and nutritious foods isn't the same as mine (and nutritional science in general). I didn't even see him mentioning vegetables once, and he only gave a quick pass to eating one serving of fruit per day. He doesn't mention the nutritional powerhouse that are legumes, and instead advocates that all your protein come from animal sources.
His structure of eating many small meals every day is only important if you plan to become a pro. Most people would be fine with 4 big meals a day. Hell, some people have fantastic results with only 2 big meals and maybe one snack per day on an intermittent fasting program. His suggestion of not eating carbs for your last meal is also unhealthy and I would hate being in the place of someone doing this (carbs are life). Note that this is basically his opinion of what works and what doesn't. There is not a single citation in this book. If you aren't interested in evidence-based nutrition and that appeals to you, then you might find some pleasure in reading this.
Displaying 1 of 1 review