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christopher.barakat

#ThrowbackThursday - My wife opened up PhotoBooth

#ThrowbackThursday - My wife opened up PhotoBooth on my Mac & I came across this video; 4 days out from my warm-up/2017 debut (48 hours into my depletion)
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During prep, I’d practice mandatories daily and each week, I took progress pics in that natural lighting area of our old apartment.
It was really nice to look back on these times and so many of the other random memories saved on PhotoBooth 😅
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From a bodybuilding standpoint, my standards are so much higher than the physique I brought in 2017. I was very happy with it at that time and knew I brought my best that season, but I honestly would never put myself through a prep if I knew I would look just like that again. .
I have a much improved physique when I close my eyes and visualize what I want to bring to the stage. I want to make Sept 2021 happen because it will be exactly a decade from my first competition ever in 2011, BUT, I will NOT prep unless I know deep down significant progress has been made and I’d bring a much better physique. .
The thing about bodybuilding is, the results are earned. Nothing is given. .
If I bring a much better physique to stage (ie 6-9lbs of stage weight is the goal, from 156 to 162-165 ... it would be because I busted my ass). If I don’t gain 6-9lbs of stage weight, I can make a bitch ass excuse and blame it on my genetics.. but that would just be a lie and an excuse.
I know I can Deff add 6-9lbs to my frame ... but I also know it won’t be an easy feat since I’ve been lifting consistently for 10 years. .
Time will tell
#CompetitiveBreed
#NaturalBodybuilding
#SchoolOfGainz
#PosingRoutine #PosingPractice #Bodybuilding #ContestPrep

“Numbers don’t lie” ... when you have enough

“Numbers don’t lie” ... when you have enough of them! #GainingWeight but #LosingFat .
So many women fear gaining weight... because they figure if they gain weight, they MUST be gaining fat in the process. But this isn’t always the case & a common goal is “weight loss” even if that doesn’t actually align with what their visualizing in their mind.
Now for many, when they lose a substantial amount of body fat, their scale weight(total body mass) will go down. But as you can see in this awesome transformation from my client @lynniepixie, over the last year she’s gained weight (primarily due to muscle mass) but lost a lot of fat throughout the process. . “Losing weight” should NOT be the goal as it commonly is for so many. ...
Focus on improving your overall health & body composition.
If your body fat levels are high and it’s having negative health percussions internally, way beyond the external appearance and even inner confidence, you can make SIGNIFICANT changes by learning how to manipulate your nutrition / diet alone. .
Ladies, if your goal is to look more “toned”, that’s going to occur through resistance training & building some muscle mass. (I promise, you’re not going to get “too big” and accrue an unwanted amount of muscle mass overnight 😅) .
A lot of ladies want bigger glutes and a more aesthetically shaped 🍑... this is going to come from progressive resistance training. .
So going back to the opening line of this post ... numbers don’t lie, when you have enough of them.
What do I mean by that? .
Utilize MULTIPLE tools to track progress and collect data.
Do NOT just use the scale.
Take circumference measurements
Take progress pics
Use skin calipers
Track your training
Track your dietary intake .
We cover all these tools in the Ultimate Guide to Body Recomposition and teach you how to dial in your nutrition to achieve your goals. .
#TheUltimateRecomp #ToolsOfTitans
#CompetitiveBreed #SchoolOfGainz
#BuildMuscle #LoseFat #SkinnyFat #FemaleFatLoss #FatLoss #TransformationTuesday #NaturalBodybuilding #Bodybuilding #Bikini #OneYearTransformation #NoEdit

Focusing on the internal (what we can control), no

This Full Upper Day had my Lats Sore AF for 3 days

This Full Upper Day had my Lats Sore AF for 3 days 😅
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Reminder, on Tuesday I put out a limited equipment workout template for Free on School of Gainz dot com (link in bio)
Each movement pattern / muscle group that’s targeted comes with a drop-down menu of exercises to select from based on what you have access to!
3-day to 6-day splits all listed out. .
Today I did back & delts outdoors but these videos are from earlier in the week, Full Upper.
Primer w resistance band not shown.
A1) Pull Ups
A2) Shoulder Press Push Ups
B1) Inverted Row
B2) Push Up
C1) Lateral Raise
C2) Rear Delt Band Pull Aparts
D1/2) Curls w Shoulder Flexed (bicep shortened) / Curls w Shoulder Extended (Biceps Lengthened)
E1/2) Tricep Kickbacks / Overhead Tricep Ext
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I hope you all had a great weekend and are making good use of the extra time we may have on our hands .
Stay safe 🤗💪
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#Bodybuilding #Calisthenics #COVID19 #QuarantineWorkout #SchoolOfGainz #CompetitiveBreed

Happy Birthday to a Living Legend who played a mas

Happy Birthday to a Living Legend who played a massive role in making Natural Bodybuilding explode over the past decade @mattogus !!!
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Swipe Left to see a pic from the first time we met at the 2014 Arnold when him & @yuckylavado had their own #LOA booth ... I don’t think I’ve ever posted that pic over the years 😂😅 (really freaking cool to reflect on everything that’s changed over those 6+ years) .
I was always inspired by what Matt was doing and had accomplished way before we ever got to connect IRL. .
I’ll save the super personal message between the two of us and off the gram! .
Looking forward to seeing your continued successes man, and as a fan of the sport, super pumped to see you on stage again! (You will leave me in the natty amateur club all alone 😩😂) At least we love the sport where we just get better with time until we’re like 50+ lol.
Cheers to muscle maturity Gainz! .
#NaturalBodybuilding #Growth #Adaptations #Hypertrophy #LegendsOfAesthetics #ACV #Placebo #KevinLevrone #Recomp #JapaneseSweetPotato #Secrets

BFR Leg Day - Bodyweight Exercises Only . Now, is

BFR Leg Day - Bodyweight Exercises Only
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Now, is this session going to put slabs of muscle on my quads and have me progressing? Absolutely Not. BUT, it will help me maintain my muscle mass, it did give me a nasty pump, and it sure will increase muscle protein synthesis in the muscles I trained today. .
Some stimulus is better than no stimulus !
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Today’s session:
ALL EXERCISE UTILIZING BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION
A1) Squats
A2) Resistance Band Pull Throughs (Hip Ext)
B1) Bulgarian Split Squat
B2) Single Leg Hip Thrust
C1) Bridge + Curl w/ Coaster (hamstring curl, can use a physioball, towel, clothes etc)
C2) Sissy Squat
D1) Walking Lunges
E1) Core .
Reps ranges as high as 30 and as low as 10 depending on the exercise.
Total workout time w warm-up ~40 mins. .
I created a training template for you all to utilize during this time that gives you a drop down menu for exercises to select based on the equipment you have access to, or lack there of.
The exercise order and movement pattern follows a logical sequence and the options are extensive. You can create a lot of different workout and logically create supersets, giant set or potential run the entire workout as a circuit from first exercise to last and do multiple rounds.
It’s $FREE.99 .
Might do a full upper body day tmw w just calisthenics and some resistance bands ... or I may be able to train with progressive loads. Time will tell. .
Either way, for those of you with limited equipment, I hope you love the program 🤗💪❤️
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#BikiniAFLegDay #LegDay #LegTraining
#BFR #BloodFlowRestriction
#COVID_19 #FreeWorkout #Bodybuilding #SchoolOfGainz #CompetitiveBreed

Stop asking HOW MUCH muscle can you gain naturally

Stop asking HOW MUCH muscle can you gain naturally and start asking WHAT WILL is take to maximize your muscle growth! .
Here is my friend and client @matt_tritto 18lbs heavier over the past 2.5 years!
If someone told Matteo back then he’d be lucky to gain 1-3lbs of muscle a year, and he BELIEVED that to be his potential, do you think he would’ve gained the amount of tissue he did?
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I’d bet my money he would not! .
Paying too much attention to what others achieve, what others do, and what other THINK are YOUR limits is what’s LIMITING YOU! .
Instead of being concerned with what your “potential” is ... just put in the work and find out.
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Matteo has had an excellent improvement season.
We started working together in March of 2018 and this week will be his 102nd consecutive check-in.
Matteo has never missed a check-in and has had superb execution in and out of the gym to ensure his improvement season was maximized. .
I’m really pumped to see him hit the stage this September and plan to travel to Italy 🇮🇹 to support him at his contest. .
We just finished a mini-Cut and are now in a reverse dieting phase for ~6-8 weeks. Then we will shift gears to maximize fat loss for prep but he’s in a superb position! .
I’m super proud of you Matteo.
I look forward to you bringing your very best to the stage this year and accomplishing your goals/realizing your dreams. .
#FromGoodToGreat
#MaximizeYOURPotential
#CompetitiveBreed
#NaturalBodybuilding

Eating Disorders & YOUR Relationship with Food #Na

Eating Disorders & YOUR Relationship with Food #NationalEatingDisorderAwarenessWeek
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Let’s be real, a lot of us in the fitness space have some sort of body dysmorphia and/or at some point (perhaps right now for you) have had a bad relationship with food. .
Over the past 6 yrs, I’ve worked with a lot of clients & it’s clear that different levels of flexibility/rigidity are going to either help people thrive or cause them to fail. Some cases were so severe, I knew I needed to bring on a Registered Dietician to best serve these clients. .
It’s super important to note, that your expectations & goals need to align with your approach. Bigger goals=bigger sacrifices
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When I first started bodybuilding, I was a “clean eater”. I was just focused on nutrient dense foods & at 18yo, didn’t know what I was doing. Although, I was eating healthy, I was NOT making progress bc I simply wasn’t eating ENOUGH. I would’ve benefitted from having more processed/Cal dense foods at that time, but feared it. .
Then I was a strict macros tracker & adopted this IIFYM mentality. I started eating more, was finally progressing, but became OBSESSED w tracking EVERYTHING.
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I’m grateful for that time bc I learned a lot by DOING. By tracking.
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Then I was able to eat way more intuitively & eyeball appropriate servings for each meal/for the day. .
However, when contest preping again, I went back to more strict tracking, bc my goals required a greater level of precision. .
Now, I can shift my level of flexibility based on my goals & demands in a very healthy manner. .
The approach we take w clients depends on their current nutritional understanding, goals, & preferences.
For some, providing them w a meal plan as a blueprint is a great tool to get them meal prepping, weighing out foods, & learning about nutrition quickly. Week by week, we ask them to replace meals from the plan w different food sources w similar macronutrient totals.
Pretty fast, they’re able to flexibly diet. .
Others may do best just tracking macros.
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Some of Missy’s clients are just tracking servings of certain food groups per day. (Ie 8 serv of starch/day). Rather than weighing out & measuring to the tee.

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