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christopher.barakat

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Attention Grab: Caption Completely Unrelated to this Photo Above & Exponentially More Important than a Physique Update
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There is a lot of crazy shit going on in this world right now 🌎 🌍 WILDFIRES IN AUS 🇦🇺🔥 EARTHQUAKES IN PR 🇵🇷 WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST, & much more. Although it may not feel like it’s impacting YOU in any way, shape or form; IT IS. .
It’s easy to perceive “your” world as the environment that you’re currently living in. The place you live, & the places you travel to.
But on a much deeper level, this is OUR world & we all have a responsibility to respect this world that we’re fortunate enough to live on, respect everything sharing this world with us.
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The fires in AUS right now are absolutely devastating & we shouldn’t just turn away & ignore it bc it’s not impacting your day to day 🇦🇺 .
When natural disasters occur in other parts of the world that doesn’t negatively impact your life in anyway, it doesn’t mean it’s not important & you shouldn’t try to help. .
This may seem like a silly analogy, but I like to think of it as such:
If you, in your physical body, have a sickness or disease that causes pain & discomfort you try to treat the issue. However, not all diseases are producing alarming symptoms, causing discomfort & are essentially silent killers (ie serious cancer developed that you had no clue about until you went in for a specific exam)
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Just because you were unaware of this disease doesn’t mean it wasn’t devastating. .
Just because this is occurring in AUS & it’s not effecting your day to day, doesn’t mean the world isn’t suffering. .
If whatever you perceive as “your world” was suffering, you would hope others would be empathetic & try to help save your environment & wildlife within it. .
This is our world.
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Inspired by my friends @ishak_ishak & @stephen.srein to raise more money to donate to 3 orgs (AUS, PR, Middle East). I already made a personal donation but would like to do more; so for the next week, ALL profits at SchoolOfGainz.com & CompetitiveBreed.com will be going to charity.
For digital programs & ebooks @ SoG, use code “2020” to save 20%, & for all apparel/merch use code “FIRST”
(Link in Bio)

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Improving your insulin sensitivity WITHOUT supplements & when GDAs are most appropriate!
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I’ve been sharing this GDA on my IG stories as something I take before my PreWO meal and have gotten a lot of questions about it. BUT, there are sooo many ways you can improve your insulin sensitivity and steps you should take BEFORE turning to supplementation.
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Simple considerations to improve insulin sensitivity: (in no particular order)
1️⃣ have ONE no/low carb meal meal per day that is just protein/fat/ fibrous veggies
2️⃣ reduce your total carb intake on non-training days - utilize #LogicalCarbCycling
3️⃣ improve food source selection, consume more nutrient-dense, unprocessed Whole Foods that are Low(er) Glycemic
4️⃣ optimize nutrient timing; focus on smart periworkout nutrition strategies, consider utilizing multiple transportable carbs PreWO, etc.
5️⃣ consider adding in some CV work. This can be LISS for active recovery on an Off day; or a short HIIT session post workout.
6️⃣ ** if you’re body fat levels are too high, drop some body fat, create a caloric deficit & reduce your overall fat mass
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I would START there assuming your daily macronutrient targets make sense. ^^ If they don’t that’s a whole issue on its own.
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If you are predisposed to insulin resistance due to genetic factors, your diet & training is going to be most important, but in these cases, I’ve seen a great GDA like glucose RX do really well for my clients. .
I personally see a lot more value in a good GDA when carbs are being pushed during a gaining phase as body fat levels increase, & insulin sensitivity decreases (as these variables generally have a strong inverse relationship). (Not nearly as important IMO when you’re already lean/cutting/ don’t aren’t insulin resistant)
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Glucose RX provides full clinical dosing for every ingredient in this formula, my favorite being berberine HCL with scientific data showing comparable results to prescription drugs. Also this contains a full spectrum of b-vitamins which is crucial for glucose metabolism. .
CB20 to save on all @revive_md nutraceuticals💊
Tag 3 friends to win any Revive Supplement of your choice. (Share on IG stories & get entered 2x)

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Hit some legs and ate a lot of Sushi with @fortitude_training to start off this decade right 🦵🍣 _
Doc actually trained full body today so started w upper and did a muscle round of leg extensions and we both did some SL ham curls before getting into these hacks. .
For hacks we used a technique from Docs Fortitude Training called zigzagging where we superset this compound with an isolation. .
Doc did Hacks SS with Hip Adduction.
Hacks w Abduction and Hacks with Hip Ext. .
I ended up doing hacks w knee ext, hip ext, then knee flex.
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This was one of the shortest leg sessions I’ve ever done, yet one of the most dense/efficient sessions. After the three rounds of hack SS w iso, my legs were done. I finished off w calf raises and hip adduction and called it a day 😅
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Then I ate 5 rolls of sushi 🍣 and Scott might’ve had 15+ rolls all you can eat 😂
Thanks again for a solid session and an even better time catching up after
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I hope you all have a great start to this New Year! .
#FortitudeTraining
#CompetitiveBreed
#SchoolOfGainz
#Bodybuilding

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Who’s going to get shit done and make zero fucking excuses? .
Had the pleasure to chat with Steve Hall on @revivestronger and he asked me what are some things that separate the most successful athletes from the ones that aren’t maximizing their potential .... The truth of the matter is, it primarily comes down to COMMITMENT!
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Those that make this high enough on their priority list, simply find a way to execute the plan, do what they need to do, and don’t let anything get in the way. ...
What can actually “get in the way”?
For the most part, nothing but yourself. Your mind. Not planning ahead. Not staying on track. Giving into temptation or just mentally cracking. .
Some of my best clients have A LOT on their plate (family, children, work (2 jobs), etc etc) ... they still get it done.
Other people that actually don’t have it “as bad” as others, paint this picture in their mind that everything is so hard and they play the victim card to themselves. Feeling sorry for yourself isn’t going to help you reach your goals. Ever. .
Hard work absolutely can, and does beat talent when talent doesn’t work hard.
But when talent works hard and is committed, that’s when you see gifted greatness. .
If you’re not very talented and genetically blessed, you HAVE to be on point.
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Anyway, the majority of this episode was a conversation around training like a bodybuilder, exercise selection, and we got to cover some exciting research studies that have wrapped up and are going to be published soon, as well as some of the projects in the works.
@itunes @youtube .
If you guys aren’t familiar with @revivestronrger ; I highly recommend you check them out for excellent educational content for all things training & nutrition related.
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#ReviveStronger #SchoolOfGainz #CompetitiveBreed #Science #Art #Bodybuilding #Exercise #Coaching #Podcast

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TRUE FAILURE : AMRAP SQUATS - 80 REPS
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One of the most impressive things I’ve seen during data collection was @fiercecookie Zaynah, taking her 4th and final set of squats on this day to TRUE FAILURE, and cranking out 80 consecutive reps with 115lbs @ 113lbs body weight!!! After rep 35 I started getting uncomfortably worried for her well being lol 😅, but she just kept going and going 🔋 🐰 .
I don’t want to discuss how important “going to failure” is and if it’s just as effective to say 1-3 reps in the tank. (We can chat about that at a later time). .
But I want to share this for a few main reasons.
1️⃣ You usually have more in the tank than you think! Your mind will always try to quit before the body actually can not perform. (Especially in something “strength-endurance” / higher rep based)
2️⃣ There can be a huge benefit to training with a partner from time to time who is stronger and more experienced than you to push you. (When you get pushed outside of your comfort zone, even w a training partner, it’ll boost your confidence and give you a better taste of what you’re really made of. You can take that confidence into your training sessions solo and push harder/demand more out of yourself)
3️⃣ If you’re training solo, don’t be afraid to ask for a spot. Sometimes having someone there spotting you will give you more confidence to attack a set and get closer to failure, even without the spotter helping or doing any forced reps etc.
4️⃣ Subjects in controlled training studies like this one train MUCH harder than the average gym goer so all the self proclaimed experts and keyboard warriors really need to chill sometimes 😅😆
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Taking a set THERE from time to time will give you a lot more confidence to attack your working sets and training sessions with a higher intensity/ effort. .
Side 📝: going to failure every set is legitimately impossible and not warranted by any means lol. .
Vid 1 - last few reps
Vid 2 - time lapse entire set
Other vids - all 80 reps in real time
Final- @a_murph43 taking a set of leg press to failure .
Serious Question(s)
The most impressive set you’ve ever done..did you have a spot? What did you do? Where did you go mentally?

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Had a conversation with @adammc192 all about #BodyRecomposition
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Although most people typically accept that the of body recomposition phenomena only occurs in novice lifters or overweight/obese population there is actually a pretty solid amount of evidence in the literature demonstrating this in a variety of trained populations. (Way more info coming specifically on this as my colleagues and I just submitted for publication on this topic this past week) #staytuned 🤞👍
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However, related to this podcast episode with @adammc192 , something that I see every semester with our subjects in the lab is that the majority mention that they have never trained so hard on their own and that participating in the study, training in the lab environment under supervision, tracking every lift and aiming to beat the log book really took them to another level.
This past year we ran a volume study that just got accepted in JSCR and we have a very strong group of well-trained subject (1RM Back Squat: Body weight Ratio 2.09) and all three groups demonstrated a recomposition effect where they gained lean mass and lost fat mass while training legs 2x/week in the lab. There are a tonnnn of confounding factors when looking at total body composition changes there as we only trained lower body in the lab, allowed them to train upper as they pleased, and nutrition wasn’t tightly controlled. (Thats why in that paper we reported lean mass changed specifically in the thighs using a region of interest measure from the dexa, and muscle thickness via ultrasound). Anyway, I see Recomp all the time in the lab, with my clients and it’s pretty common in the literature. .
In this podcast we cover some of the concepts discussed in detail in the Ultimate Guide to Body Recomposition @jeffnippard and I spent the majority of ‘19 working on and released it on Nov 1. .
We specially talk about how optimizing your nutritional approach can surely improve your performance in the gym, recovery out of the gym, and how that can add up, day by day, week by week, meso by meso to really pay off and improve your body composition. .
I hope you guys enjoy the full episode!
#TheHealthMasteryShow #Bodybuilding

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I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again; PAUSE your PULLS
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A lot of people have a hard time “feeling” their back musculature and one of the simplest execution tips that often gets it to “click” for my clients is pausing their pulls in the fully shortened position.
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This also gives you an opportunity to better control your eccentrics, something a lot of people can improve upon generally speaking. .
This was my second pulling exercise today, 4th exercise of todays Upper session
A1) Incline DB Chest Press
B1) Barakat Pull-ups (Scaption Plane, D Handles, Slightly supinated - Lat focused)
C1) Decline BB Chest
D1) CS DB Row .
This CS DB supported row is the first meso I’m performing this exact variation.
Small tweaks to set-up & execution make a BIG difference.
In the past, I’ve done these w either a) pronated grip focusing on “upper back” pulling w scrap retraction + GH Horz Abd (rear delts, mid traps/rhomboids) and b) lat focus, slightly supinated pulling through GH extension w intentional scap depression. .
This variation show in the video is different than what I’ve previously done.
I don’t have a complete “neutral” grip, I’m slightlyyyy pronated at the forearm/internally rotated at the shoulder. This variation is smassshing my mid back, mid trap/rhomboids, and still getting some rear delt for sure, but I’m getting minimal lat recruitment here (intentionally). I’m confident in just a few weeks, this will be one of my “strongest” horizontal pulls. .
When it comes to row variations for the lats, I’ve really become a fan of doing unilateral rows ONLY for lats ATM.
Reason being: I get a much better contraction, mind-muscle connection and feel like I can focus on the lats MUCH more when doing rows unilaterally and setting up in a laterally flexed position at my trunk, focusing on scap depression and GH extension. (I’ll make a post on that soonish) — maybe lol. .
Anyway, looking forward to the tissue I’m going to add in my mid back as this will be a staple moving forward. .
Last week 70 x 10 (acclimating), this week 80 x 10 (vid 2), 80x7 (vid 1)
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#SchoolOfGainz #CompetitiveBreed
#Rows #Back #Pull #PullDay #Traps #Rhomboids #Bodybuilding

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A lot of us are asking “HOW MUCH”, when we should just be asking “HOW”
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One of the biggest topics of discussion is “how much” volume is “optimal”. Firstly, there is no magic number.
Secondly, you shouldn’t even worry about how much ‘work’ you’re going if how you’re doing it sucks. .
The old expressions QUALITY over QUANTITY absolutely applies to volume.
I’d rather take 5 QUALITY sets over 10 💩 sets any day. .
I shared this image of Dorians training on my IG story that I saw JP share, and I simply asked if you considered this “high volume” or “low volume”. 71% saw this training log and said high, 29% low.
Dorian himself considered himself to be a “low volume, HIGH INTENSITY” athlete. .
He did 8 WORKING sets for his legs shown above. Sets at a high intensity that are going to be productive towards the goal. 8 sets for chest, 6 for lats/back (BB shrugs for upper trap not included) .
Anyway, I don’t want to even discuss quantity tbh. .
I just want everyone seeking this magical number of sets, to take a step back and ask what can they do BETTER. .
If your form isn’t perfect .. work on perfecting that first.
Learn how to increase mechanical tension. Improve your mind muscle connection. Decrease your risk of injury and improve motor control. .
Then focus on increasing your effort.
Keeping form tight once fatigue kicks in.
Push closer to failure than you have in the past.
Challenge yourself. .
If you look at Dorian’s log, he was a master at Autoregulating his workouts.
Many of the greats were artistic in their approach and very in tune w their body. The level of autonomy and their ability to autoregulate was likely a large part of their success. .
There is some #science supporting these factors. .
As a coach, I don’t want my athletes to just be robots and follow Xs and Os on a training spreadsheet, but become more in tune with themselves over time to create their best possible physique. .
It’s not always about doing MORE.
You should strive to do BETTER! .
#SuccessLeavesClues #LayTheFoundationFirst
#SchoolOfGainz
#CompetitiveBreed #Autonomy #Autoregulation #Volume #Intensity #Effort #Bodybuilding #Training #LogBook

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