Diet and Supplementation

 

    Diet/nutrition is key to making progress and reaching your training goals. If you do not have an understanding of nutrition and are lacking dietary discipline you most likely will be spinning your tires and not hindering yourself from reaching full potential and optimal results.

    I myself have been in this position before in the past due to over consuming calories and carrying too much body fat. I was big and strong but also carrying excess weight that covered the muscle gains I was making in the gym. 

    Over the course of 25 years of training I have tried different diets for bulking, cutting, and maintaining so at this point in my life I have a pretty good grasp on what works for me. 

    You do not have to go on a restrictive diet to get great results unless you have specific health needs which would require it. What does matter however is the amount of total calories consumed during the course of the day and getting enough protein to fuel recovery and muscle growth. 

    Here are some basic tips to follow regarding diet in order to get the best results. 

1.     Start by finding your maintenance calories by using an online calorie calculator. This will give you a base line idea on how many calories you need to consume on a daily basis to maintain your current weight. Once you find your daily maintenance calories, you can subtract or add to this depending on your specific goal. 

    If your goal is to lose weight and fat subtract 300 to 500 calories from your daily total. If your goal is to gain weight add those calories. If you are extremely fat you can afford to reduce a lot more calories. The idea for most however is to avoid crash dieting in order to preserve as much muscle mass as possible, and to avoid extreme bulking in order to inhibit excess fat gain. 

2.     Download a calorie tracking app. We have the technology now so make use of it. Calorie tracking is the best way to make sure you are hitting your daily protein and caloric goals. They are extremely easy to use and after a few days of tracking it should become routine.

3.     Buy a digital food scale. A simple food scale can be purchase anywhere between 20 to 30 dollars and you may even be able to get one at a thrift store for even cheaper. The food scale is an essential tool for calorie tracking. This allows you to weigh foods such as meat to get accurate protein and caloric totals. 

4.     Make your diet protein focused whether you are cutting, bulking, or maintaining. Protein is essential for muscle recovery and growth. If you do not have enough your muscles will not properly recover, rebuild, and grow. The end result will be cheating yourself out of optimal gains. 

    I suggest getting 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight in order to cover your bases. This should be enough for most people but if you happen to go over this amount that is ok. Your body will simply expell what you do not use. An example would be a man who weighs 200 pounds should strive to be in range of 200 grams of protein daily. 

    This means focusing on getting enough. Poultry, beef, pork, fish, eggs, dairy, whey protein shakes etc. Also always consider if the food you are eating has a good calorie to protein ratio. An example of a good calorie to protein ration would be 10 grams of protein for every 100 calories (give or take). 

    I use a flexible high protein diet. Meaning you can fit some "junk foods" into your diet as long as they fit within your daily caloric goals and you are still getting your protein in. This also serves the purpose of avoiding splurges and falling off the wagon. 

    People who go too restrictive with diet tend to fail, it is much easier to just work in the foods you like. Is it really cheating if at the end of the day you are still keeping calories in check and getting enough protein? The beauty of calorie tracking it it allows the flexibility without having to be super restrictive and bland therefore it is much easier to adhere to and stay consistent. 

5. High sugar, high fat foods typically are going to have poor calorie to protein ratios. If your goal is weight loss then low fat, and sugar free options are preferable in order to come in at a daily caloric deficit. 

    Now I will share some thoughts on supplementation. Bodybuilding supplements will help you reach your goals but they are not a substitute for poor dietary discipline. Diet still out weighs supplementation in terms of importance.

    

    There are a wide array of supplements on the market and an individuals needs will vary depending on specific issues and goals. The number 1 supplement I would suggest is creatine. Over 30 years on the market it is proven safe and effective, and we are still discovering benefits that expand beyond muscle output and growth but also enhances in brain function and has anti-aging benefits. 

    Whey protein is another good supplement to have on hand just because it makes it much easier to hit your daily protein goals while keeping calories in check. Whey is not necessary as one can get their protein from diet alone but it does indeed make it easier to reach these goals.    

    

Relationships/Women

 

"It is not good for man to be alone; I will make him a helper"- Genesis 2:18

"Be fruitful and multiply" -Genesis 1:28

"For man was not created for woman, but woman was created for man"- 1 Corinthians 11:9

"Wives submit to your own husbands as you do to the Lord"-Ephesians 5:22-24

Men in our modern times can often find it to be a struggle to form good relationships with women that will lead to something long-term which translates into a man's ability to have a marriage and children of his own. 

Below you will find a playlist of YouTube videos that touch on many of the problems men face when trying to find a relationship. 

This problem is a multi-faceted one. On one hand, we have the failures of modern women, which we can attribute to a society that enables bad behavior, encourages feminism (anti-male/anti-tradition attitudes), and parents that have spoiled their daughters. 

On the other hand, we have a problem with men who fail to fully embrace their masculinity and hold a masculine frame. Men may have limited experience and are simply afraid to step outside of their comfort zones (fear of rejection) which is required when trying to get to date and know women. Men may also struggle with spotting red flags and have trouble deciphering a good woman from a bad one. 

Typically once a man is confident and is red-pilled regarding female behavior their success rate increases. A man usually does best when he is calm, cool, in control of his emotions, and not easily rattled by a woman's tests or hot/cold behavioral antics. 

If you are interested in learning more please see the playlist of videos below where I provide advice to help men based on my own experience and observations. Whether you are just starting out "dating" in order to gain valuable experience or having issues with a relationship or marriage, hopefully, you will find this advice helpful. 

 Advice for Men: Women and Relationships

Crusader Muscle Program

 

    Train with Crusader Muscle

 I am offering custom programs for men wanting to build muscle, cut body fat, gain strength/confidence, and get a heroic physique. Each program will be done with the individual in mind and their current status and the days available they have to dedicate to training. 

Crusader Muscle Program $35

A budget-friendly option is available for those that need just a boost and some direction on building muscle and cutting body fat. The program includes an initial Email Questionnaire, a Personal Workout Program, and Diet/Calorie/Protein intake guidelines to follow. 

This option includes two email check-ins during the month, and you are essentially on your own following the program I write for you. 

Book

My self-help book for men can be purchased here in physical format or Ebook

 Lifting Weights and Getting Dates

Additional Information

 Crusader Muscle channel on YouTube 

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheCrusader83/featured

https://rumble.com/user/CrusaderMuscle

Supplements

https://www.tigerfitness.com/?a_aid=5b75e105f2611

I also advise you to contact me via email with any questions you may have and from there we can determine if this is the right option for you. Just place "Coaching" in the subject line. 

nathans8388@gmail.com

*Disclaimer* Any training or coaching advice paid for and taken is done so of your own free will. I accept no responsibility for any injury you may incur while training. If you want more hands-on coaching, I advise you to hire an in-person coach. Online coaching is a more budget-friendly option. It is up to you to put in the work and make the best use of the advice given with your own free will and discretion. 

 

 

Self Defense

We believe a man should be capable and prepared to defend his own life when met with a violent attack that seeks to cause you physical harm or death. Being an adherent of Muscular Christianity also means we should use our strength to protect others who are less capable to defend themselves.

The knights of centuries ago protected Christians on pilgrimages from murder, violent attack and robbery from thieves. They also served Christendom by defending their homelands from invaders hostile to their way of life and faith. 

"Buy a sword"- Luke 22:36

Adherents of the Muscular Christian discipline believe men should be strong and capable. Self defense and defense of your household is a key component for us. 

1 Timothy 5:8 tells us that if we have no care of our own, no care of our household we have denied the faith and are worse than an infidel. Part of this care is defending our loved ones from violent attack. Your wife, children, parents, grandparents, siblings etc. 

There are wicked criminals who exhibit behavior that is more animalistic or even demonic in nature that roam our lands seeking to cause harm to anyone they can victimize . A Muscular Christian should be mentally and physically prepared to take action to crush the wicked in order to protect those under his care.

Crusader Muscle takes a common sense approach to self defense. While it is best to get some formal training in a martial art or firearms there are plenty of things you can do to adequately prepare on your own. 

Please see this video on "How to Become Dangerous". A Muscular Christian man should be ready to unleash his inner lion when it is appropriate to do so. Below you will also find my playlist of other videos relating to self defense and martial arts. 

Self Defense and Martial Arts Video Playlist

Increasing the Odds, An Hour A Day!

What are you doing with your life man? If you aren't training on a regular basis why aren't you? 

You have time to post on social media and play video games, don't you have time to train? 

Work, school classes, relationships, kids, social life activities, or injury are some of the excuses people give for not having time to train. However, if something is truly important to you, you will make time to do it.

Just try an hour a day! An hour dedicated to training your body. You can accomplish a solid workout in an hour, given the fact you go hard the entire time and stay focused. 

I would ask these men who make excuses not to train, why would you not want to make yourself more aesthetic, strong, healthy, and physically capable when it would only require an hour of your time each day to see vast improvements? 

Training improves your odds over the vast majority of the population who does not have the discipline to train on a consistent basis. 

A strong looking confident man is also much less likely to be selected as a victim by a criminal. 

Many will be intimidated by a man who has a strong muscular frame and will back down to choose a weaker victim who will be easier to conquer.

 A man with a knowledge of a martial art or form of self-defense is even more advantaged when this is added to his resume. 

I looked at some numbers, these polls were taken regarding the American population and are a bit dated considering one is from 2008 and another is from 2011.

Given my own personal observations however I would guess now in 2019, they may be down or up a percentage point or two but nothing really drastic has changed in that time. I would imagine the numbers are still fairly accurate as people age past their 30s into their 40s and beyond many will drop out of routine training. This also goes for younger guys, I know some old classmates who probably haven't touched a weight since high school ended.

According to a 2008 Gallup poll, about 15% of Americans reported doing regular weight training. That leaves 85% of the population that isn't pumping iron on a regular basis.

According to a Simmons Market Research poll in 2011, 5 percent of American adults say they participated in a martial arts class during the year, that percentage gets a bit more broken down when you consider a quarter of that percentage participate on a regular basis. 

http://mainemartialarts.com/martial-arts/martial-arts-statistics-demographics-people-practice/

With all this taken into consideration if you are dedicating consistent training time to physical discipline, building strength, and muscle, and adding on some knowledge of self-defense skills the odds are in your favor when compared to the vast majority of the population should you ever find yourself in a physical altercation. 

Our Body Beyond Time

( Updated on 7/2023 )

Most people avoid the topic of death. Having someone we love leaves us or leaving those we love behind is not a pleasant thought. The fear of the unknown and annihilation fuels much of the anxiety about death.

We humans only have experience dealing with our lives on the earthly plane, leaving behind that can be discomforting. The thoughts of what the body goes through after death is not pleasant as well. The thought of a corpse withering away and decaying in a tomb is not something loved ones would like to think about when they have known the person in question to be once so vibrant and full of life.

So what happens to us at the moment of our death?

When we finally arrive at the moment of our death the soul will separate from our body and will be given a particular judgment. The body itself in the most ideal cases is prepared and given a proper burial by family or friends of the departed, there it will rest in the ground or in the mausoleum until the day of Resurrection. 

Cremation is a more acceptable practice in modern day but traditionally Christians did not cremate because the body was viewed as something sacred and baptized and should not be willfully destroyed but instead be prepared for burial or entombment with care (unless in case of unusual and extreme circumstances which would warrant public health and safety concerns due to corpses piling up war, plague, etc which the Church makes an allowance for cremation. ) 

The corpses of the dead, that were once inhabited with a soul during earthly life, those that have long decayed in the ground centuries ago, lost and dissolved in the depths of the sea, or torched by the flame in an act of cremation will all be reanimated. The bodybuilding elements found in the dust of the earth will recompose God's creation that is the human body. To what degree? Most likely this would have to do with if you're body will be one of the glorified of the elect or the corrupt of the damned.

If you happen to be one of the elect, the body will be glorified and have extra properties that our previous bodies did not have. The best example of the Ressurection body we have is that of Jesus himself. When Christ was resurrected on Easter Sunday he had a physical body, he was recognizable to those who knew him, and was even capable of and partook of food. Jesus ascended into heaven with a physical body that had supernatural attributes, he did not leave as a wispy smoke of mist or fog.

This video does a great job of explaining our body beyond. The explanation and comparisons used are spot on in illustrating the very real flesh-bone bodies we will have with special properties.


Do we keep our size, physical stature, and strength with our new bodies?

Since we do retain identifying physical features from the old body to the new body, if you are indeed one of the elect, then I would say yes. This may also be determined by what you look like at death. We know Christ came back in the same but glorified form, the same age, with the same identifying features so His disciples could recognize him and be witness to His bodily Resurrection. 

What if one dies in advanced old age? Would they come back as an elderly man? I have heard a theory we would actually return to the age Christ was when He was crucified (33). I cannot verify this to be true but it would make sense. Plus I have seen photos of my grandfather as a younger man and I could still identify him. 

Another exception would be if someone died with a handicap or disability. It is fair to say that the new glorified body would be free of these earthly defects while the person would still be recognizable.

Since there is a continuum between the bodily identity of the old body and the new body, I would imagine one who had a strong body in life and died in a state of grace, would also have his physical stature and strength reflected in his new Resurrection body since it is an identifying feature. I would even argue that our best features will be even more amplified in the glorified Resurrection body.

The wicked and the damned will also be resurrected, but if one died a championship bodybuilder who was damned, would the bodybuilder with the perfect body during life in his prime, would he keep his gains with a resurrection body? 

Arnold Schwarzenegger for example has denied the afterlife and denied the resurrection of the body. He has also discussed how he is angry about death and disgusted with aging. The sad irony is that if Arnold was a believer in Christ he would have faith in the bodily resurrection and get an even more glorified body than he ever had during his life. 

If one is damned and has spent their life rejecting Christ they will not receive a glorified body.  The bodies of the damned will be riddled with corruption, rot, and decay as it will match the sinful nature of their souls. They will be dark, horrifying, and a dread to look at. They will be physically complete enough to feel physical pain, the fires of hell, and the worm that dieth not but will not exhibit any physical glory or beauty that those in Christ will receive at the Ressurection.

To close this article I will include verses that reference our Ressurection.

This also should be the final nail in the coffin of those who condemn physical culture from an erroneous faith perspective and denounce taking care of our physical bodies as sinful or altogether denying the importance of the body which houses the soul. Those misguided fools who condemn physical culture, weight training, and bodily care are actually guilty of a Gnostic heresy. Specifically, they are guilty of the heresy of Docetism. 

If the body was not important God would not have given us one at our creation, nor would He have given us a new glorified physical resurrection body should we be one of the fortunate to die in a state of grace. 

Our bodies house our immortal souls, and we will have one whether damned or among the elect. You on earth can affect changes in your body for the better. An ultimate testament to God's great creation on how we can alter it for the better through certain actions of physical training and diet.

Ultimately you also have the free will choice to determine what your body of beyond will be like by your actions during your life on earth in the here and now. 

"Thy dead men shall live, my slain shall rise again: awake, and give praise, ye that dwell in the dust: for thy dew is the dew of the light: and the land of the giants thou shalt pull down into ruin." - Isaiah 26:19

"Who will reform the body of our lowness, made like to the body of his glory, according to the operation whereby also he is able to subdue all things unto himself. "-Philippians 3:21

"And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and hell gave up their dead that were in them; and they were judged every one according to their works. "-Apocalypse 20:13

“But this I confess unto you, that after the Way which they call a sect, so serve I the God of our fathers, believing all things which are according to the law, and which are written in the prophets; having hope toward God, which these also themselves look for, that there shall be a resurrection both of the just and unjust” (Acts 24:14-15)

"And many of those that sleep in the dust of the earth, shall awake: some unto life everlasting, and others unto reproach, to see it always."-Daniel 12:2

"And I — in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness."-Psalm 17:15