• 🍗 Eat Like a Bodybuilder

• 💪 Build Massive Arms

• 🥤 A Fall Spice Smoothie

• 🦶 Train Barefoot: Y or N?

👇 Dive in and Set the Standard!

Too many guys think nutrition is copy-and-paste. They see what their favorite bodybuilder eats and try to mirror it meal for meal.

But food isn’t that simple. Your diet has to line up with your training, your recovery, and even what you did yesterday. What fuels one guy might hold another back, and what works for you now might not work in six months.

That’s why I recently logged everything I ate for a week and sent it to my trainer, Justin King. I needed a baseline. Without that, you’re just guessing.

My “average” day came out to about 2,600 calories: 90 grams of fat, 186 carbs, and 253 protein. From there, we built a structure that adapts to my training.

On heavy days — especially leg day — I run high-carb, about 500 grams. That’s fuel in the tank to push volume and load.

On lower-intensity days, carbs come down, fats come up. That variability keeps my metabolism responsive and my performance steady.

Timing matters too. My biggest carb hit is always post-workout, sometimes 150–180 grams in one sitting, because that’s when your body can actually use them. I’ll even add slow-digesting carbs before bed.

Why? If your blood sugar crashes while you sleep, cortisol spikes, and that wrecks recovery. Details like that make the difference.

Whole foods are always the base. But I add clean supplements to make it easier to stay consistent: whey protein, carb powders that digest smoothly, and a few recovery staples. They’re not magic. They just make the system run better.

And that’s the real key, having a system. The goal isn’t “eating perfectly” every day. It’s tracking, adjusting, and repeating. Most lifters rely on guesswork and wonder why they plateau. When you start tracking, your diet stops being random. It becomes a weapon.

Fuel with intent, and every meal becomes a step toward the body you’re building.

Set the Standard.

Chris

💪 Build Arm Mass + Detail

Bigger arms aren’t built by chasing endless curls. Chris and Justin structure arm training around long-range stretches, peak contractions, and brutal high-volume supersets that force blood into the muscle while also driving growth through mechanical tension.

This workout balances biceps, triceps, and forearms, giving you that round, full look from every angle.

📍 Training Goal: Build high-volume mass + detail in biceps, triceps, and forearms
⏱ Rest: 75 sec between supersets, 60 sec between single sets
🎯 Tempo Key: 2021 unless noted (2 sec down, 0 pause, 2 sec up, 1 sec squeeze)

🔥 Warm-Up (5 Minutes)

✅ Band pushdowns x 20
✅ Band curls x 20
✅ Shoulder dislocates x 12
✅ Light DB hammer curls x 15

🏋️ Arm Workout

A1. Incline Dumbbell Curl (Commerford Curl) • 4 x 8–10 reps @ 3011
🧠 Full stretch at bottom, rotate to supinate at top.

A2. French Press (EZ Bar or DB) • 4 x 8–10 reps @ 3011
🎯 Elbows tucked, deep stretch behind head.

B1. Seated DB Curl (neutral grip) • 3 x 12 reps @ 2021
🧠 Use fat grips if available for more forearm/bicep activation.

B2. Rope Pushdown (Cable) • 3 x 12–15 reps @ 2021
🎯 Triceps short head overload. Squeeze hard at the bottom, flare rope apart.
🛑 Don’t let elbows drift forward; lock them to your sides.

C1. Preacher Curl (machine or bar) • 3 x 10–12 reps @ 3111
🛑 Slow eccentric, pause for 1 sec at bottom to kill momentum.

C2. Dips (weighted if possible) • 3 x 8–10 reps
🎯 Lean slightly forward for chest/tris, upright for pure tris.

D1. Hammer Curl (DB or Rope) • 3 x 12–15 reps @ 2011
🧠 Keep elbows close, don’t swing.

D2. Close-Grip Push-Up (to failure) • 2–3 sets
💥 Controlled, max burn finisher.

E. Blood-Flow Finisher (no rest between)

• Barbell Curl 21s (7 bottom, 7 top, 7 full) • 2 sets

• Rope Pressdowns (30 sec continuous) • 2 sets
  🔥 Pump + metabolic stress to finish.

💡 Programming Tips

• Train arms 1x/week directly, but biceps and triceps also get hit on push/pull days.

• Rotate grips (supinated, neutral, pronated) to fully develop the biceps (long + short head) and forearms.

• Use stretch-position lifts (incline curl, overhead extension) early in the workout since these are growth drivers.

• Progressive overload still matters: don’t just chase the pump, push heavy with good form.

🔑 Extra Keys for Arm Growth

1. Volume: Arms often respond to higher sets and frequency — 12–16 hard sets per muscle weekly is the sweet spot.

2. Tempo + Contraction: Don’t rush. Peak contraction and stretch tension make lighter weights hit harder.

3. Nutrition: Arms won’t grow if you’re under-eating. Chris pushes protein north of 250g daily when focused on size.

4. Recovery: Your elbows take a beating, so add soft tissue work, forearm stretches, and occasional deloads to stay healthy.

📲 For full training splits that integrate this arm workout into a balanced program, check the STNDRD app.

Tap in and Set the Standard.

🍂 Fuel Like a Bodybuilder

Fall foods that help you grow lean muscle and fuel recovery

When most people think of “eating like a bodybuilder,” they picture endless bowls of chicken, rice, and broccoli. But the truth is that bodybuilding nutrition isn’t about flavorless food; it’s about structure, consistency, and fueling for growth. 

With Fall around the corner, this is the perfect time to reset your plan, tighten up your meals, and add seasonal foods that keep you anabolic while the weather cools.

🥩 The Basics: What to Eat

At the foundation are the big three:

• Protein: Aim for at least 1g per pound of bodyweight daily. Lean meats, eggs, whey protein, Greek yogurt, and fish are staples.

• Carbohydrates: Choose slower-digesting carbs for energy and glycogen: oats, quinoa, brown rice, sweet potatoes, beans, and whole grains. Seasonal swaps like butternut squash, pumpkin, and root veggies are perfect fall additions.

• Fats: Include healthy fats for hormone balance and recovery, such as avocado, olive oil, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish.

Think of every meal as a balance of these three macros, weighted toward protein.

⏱️ The Rhythm: When to Eat

Most lifters grow best on 4–5 structured meals plus 1–2 snacks or shakes spread throughout the day. The goal isn’t grazing nonstop but keeping a steady flow of nutrients to fuel muscle protein synthesis.

• Breakfast: Protein + highest fat meal of the day, lowest carb (unless training in the morning → then add moderate carbs, low-GI).
  Ex: eggs with avocado and spinach, or eggs with oats if training early.

• Lunch: Protein, moderate carbs, low fat.
  Ex: chicken, brown rice, and vegetables.

• Dinner: Protein with moderate-to-high carbs, low-to-moderate fat.
  Ex: salmon with roasted squash and broccoli.

• Pre-workout (if not morning): Protein + moderate-to-high carbs, no fat, 60–90 minutes before training.
  Ex: turkey with sweet potato, or whey with a banana.

• Post-workout: Fast-digesting protein + high-GI carbs to speed recovery.
  Ex: whey protein shake with dextrose or banana.

Snacks and smoothies fill the gaps — Greek yogurt with berries, protein shakes, or cottage cheese before bed.

🥤 Seasonal Power Smoothie

Here’s a fall-inspired mass-building smoothie that tastes like dessert but works like a training tool:

Pumpkin Spice Muscle Shake

• 1 scoop whey isolate (vanilla)

• ½ cup canned pumpkin (fiber + beta carotene)

• ½ frozen banana

• ½ cup oats

• 1 tbsp almond butter

• 1 tsp cinnamon + pumpkin spice

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk

Blend until smooth. Perfect post-workout or as a high-calorie snack when you’re pushing to grow.

Macros: ~420 cal | 36g protein | 45g carbs | 10g fat

💊 Supplements: Keep It Simple

Skip the hype — the core stack is still:

• Whey protein (convenient protein source)

• Creatine monohydrate (strength + recovery)

• EAAs (especially if training fasted)

• Fish oil (anti-inflammatory support)

• Greens or fiber blend (for digestion)

🏆 The Takeaway

Eating like a bodybuilder isn’t complicated; it’s structured. Anchor your day with 4–5 clean, protein-focused meals, use seasonal carbs like pumpkin and squash to keep things fresh, and supplement with the basics.

Do this consistently, and your body will have everything it needs to grow, recover, and lean out as you head into the colder months.

🔥 Set the Standard — fuel like a pro, grow like one too.

🎆Need supplements? Go to RAW Nutrition and use the code CBUM for our best deals.

Q: Hi Chris, I notice you work out barefoot a lot. Why do you do that, and should I consider it too?

Rod J., Redlands, California

A: Hey Rod, I train barefoot for a couple of reasons. First, it makes me feel more connected to the ground. I can drive through my feet, feel where my weight is, and keep my balance dialed in.

That matters a lot for things like squats, RDLs, or even sled pushes, where stability and force transfer are everything. Shoes, especially cushioned ones, can sometimes throw that off.

Second, it helps strengthen the smaller muscles in my feet and ankles. Over time, that carries over to better knee and hip health, which is huge for longevity in training.

A lot of lifters ignore this stuff until it becomes a problem, but keeping your base strong pays off big.

That said, I don’t think barefoot is for every situation. If you don’t have good ankle mobility yet, or you’re moving really heavy weights where safety is priority, stable lifting shoes or flat soles are still a smart choice.

Start small, maybe try it with warm-ups, accessory work, or sleds, and see how your body feels.

The goal isn’t to follow what I do; it’s to figure out what makes you more stable, stronger, and healthier long-term.

Question for Chris? Hit reply or email [email protected] and we’ll consider your question for inclusion in a future issue of The Standard.

Champion Mentality

“Every day you either get better or you get worse. It’s impossible to stay the same.”

— Bo Schembechler

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