Grow More Muscle Faster

How a muscle group you're overlooking can unlock progress. Plus: A bedtime snack for overnight gains, the best time to train, and why ego kills growth.

Chris Bumstead
May 08, 2025

Why Ego Kills Growth
Get a (Stronger) Grip
Grow Muscle Overnight
The Best Time to Train

Running a mile on the treadmill last week wasn’t supposed to mean anything. I was just curious to see how I’d do.

But when I finished in 9:50 — no walking, no breaks — I stepped off with a strange mix of pride, surprise, and clarity. It wasn’t just a mile, it was a marker. A check on where I am now, what matters, and what’s open to me.

For a decade, my life followed a simple cycle: train, compete, recover, repeat. Everything I did pointed to one goal — winning the Olympia. Every decision, every day, was built around that. It worked. But it was my whole life.

Now, for the first time in years, I’m free. Free to think, explore, and grow. But freedom can feel uncomfortable when your identity has been built around a single pursuit.

That’s when the ego shows up and holds you back.

I watched a documentary recently where Aaron Rodgers talked about ego death, the idea that real growth only happens when you're willing to let go of the story you've been telling yourself.

That hit me. Because we all build these identities — the champion, the perfectionist, the workhorse — and our ego gets attached. You start to believe, this is who I am, and I have to keep proving it.

But at some point, that identity becomes a cage. It starts holding you back. You begin training for the image instead of the goal. You stop evolving because the story you’ve built doesn’t leave room for growth.

But letting go of that isn’t weakness, it’s the next level. The goal isn’t to stay who you are, the goal is to grow into who you’re becoming.

That requires honesty and the guts to rewrite your story, even if the old one was working. For years, I was Mr. Olympia, and that title shaped how I showed up every single day.

But when I stepped away from competition, I started to wonder: Would people still care what I had to say? Would I lose relevance, followers, and influence?

That risk was and is real. But I’m willing to face whatever comes with letting go because moving past that version of myself has been the most freeing thing I’ve ever done.

Now that I’m retired, I feel like I have room. Room to miss a workout and enjoy food. Room to clear my schedule and watch my daughter so Courtney can do her thing.

Room to see how fast I can run a mile.

I’m no longer just building a body. I’m building a life that matches who I am today. I still want to be jacked and athletic. I still train. But I want to run, jump, dunk, create, connect, and grow in all directions, not just one.

Letting go of the old version of myself has given me the space to create a new version that reflects who I am today and where I want to go tomorrow.

If you’re trying to evolve, scared to move in new directions, wondering who you’ll be without the title, the job, the identity, I get it.

But I promise: You don’t lose yourself by letting go. You find yourself.

Set the Standard!

Chris

Your grip is more than a handshake flex. It’s an often overlooked but critical support system for pulling strength, forearm size, and upper-body control.

You don’t need elite pinch strength like a rock climber. But you do need a grip that can keep up with your lifts. If your hands give out before your back or biceps do, you’re leaving size and strength on the table.

Yes, research links grip strength to better health and longer life. But for lifters, the payoff is more immediate: a strong grip gives you more command of the weight, increases muscle recruitment, and helps you make heavier lifts.

Simple as that.

💡 WHY YOUR GRIP MATTERS

It controls the rest of your training: Weak grip? You’re limiting your pulling power.
It shows up visually: Thick, veiny forearms are a clear sign you’re willing to do the hard stuff.
It unlocks upper-body strength: A stronger grip = more tension = more growth.

🛠️ HOW TO TRAIN

Most guys tack on a few lazy wrist curls at the end of arm day and wonder why nothing changes. If you want forearms and grip strength that matter, build them into your weekly plan with intention.

What to consider:

1️⃣ Thick-Grip Tools

Add Fat Gripz or axle bars to your rows, curls, and deadlifts. Thick handles increase the demand on your hand and forearm muscles.

2️⃣ Pull-Up Variations

Use towels and ropes. Mix grips: neutral, supinated, pronated. The key is to squeeze and work your grip during each movement instead of just hanging on.

3️⃣ Neutral + Reverse Grips

Rotate through incline curls, Scott curls, hammer curls, and Zottmans. Neutral and reverse grips work the brachialis and brachioradialis for serious forearm density.

4️⃣ Progressive Overload

Want serious gains? Treat training your grip like any other muscle group. Run a focused 4–6 week block with fat-bar holds, carries, or eccentric curls. Track the work. Load it up. Track your progress.

🔑 KEY MOVEMENTS

Fat-Grip Barbell Curls
Thick Bar Pull-Ups (neutral & supinated)
Incline Dumbbell Curls
Hammer Curls with a Pause
Reverse EZ-Bar Curls
Farmers Carry (strap-free)
Towel Rows or Isometric Hangs

🚫 MISTAKES TO AVOID

Overusing straps on everything
Doing the same weight for wrist curls every week
Sticking to one grip angle (usually supinated)
Saving forearms for the last 5 minutes of your workout

✅ THE STANDARD

Want forearms that match your biceps? A grip that locks you into every pull? Stop treating this like accessory work. Train it like it matters, because it does.

🚀 Time to push past your limits!

🔗 Join STNDRD and start training like a champ.

— Justin King

🍒 The Ultimate Bedtime Snack

Repair muscles. Sleep deeper. Wake up stronger.

This evening snack delivers slow-digesting protein to fuel overnight recovery. It includes ingredients clinically shown to support deeper sleep and enhance muscle repair.

Ingredients:

¾ cup low-fat cottage cheese
(~20g protein, high in casein for overnight absorption)
1 tbsp natural almond butter
(healthy fat to slow digestion + magnesium for muscle relaxation)
½ banana or ½ cup tart cherries
(natural source of melatonin + carbs to support serotonin production)
1 tsp chia or ground flaxseeds
(fiber + omega-3s for anti-inflammatory recovery)
A dash of cinnamon or sea salt
(flavor + blood sugar stability)
Optional: A scoop of vanilla casein or collagen protein (for added protein if needed)

🧠 Why it Works:

✅ Muscle Repair While You Sleep
Cottage cheese and casein protein provide amino acids overnight, key for hypertrophy and recovery.

✅ Natural Sleep Support
Tart cherries and bananas contain melatonin and magnesium, which help regulate your sleep cycle and reduce nighttime cortisol production.

✅ Fights Inflammation
Almond butter, flax, and chia add fiber and healthy fats to support gut health and reduce inflammation.

✅ Easy to Prep + Hard to Mess Up
Mix it in 2 minutes. Eat it 30–60 minutes before bed.

This isn’t just about avoiding hunger, it’s about training smarter by fueling recovery.

🔥 Set the Standard — Eat Clean, Train Hard, Get Bigger.

Go to RAW Nutrition and use the discount code CBUM for the best deal on all of our products!

Q: Hi Chris, what’s the best time of day to train for maximum gains, morning, noon, or night?

— Marcus L. Charlotte, North Carolina

A: Hey, Marcus, honestly, I’ve asked myself this same question over the years, especially when I was deep in prep and trying to optimize every detail. But here’s the truth:

There’s no perfect time to train, just the time that works best for you, consistently.

💥 The Science

Yeah, there’s research that shows your body might perform better later in the day — hormones are peaking, your nervous system’s fully awake, and your joints are more mobile. Afternoon and early evening can be great for heavy lifts, pump work, and endurance.

But mornings have their upside too: fewer distractions, better consistency, and mentally starting the day with a win. The downside is your body’s a little colder, so warm-ups matter more.

At night? You might feel strong, but high-intensity training too close to bed can mess with sleep if you’re not careful.

🧠 My Take

Personally, I’ve always loved morning training. Not always lifting right away, but getting up, doing breathwork or light cardio, and starting the day with movement that sets the tone.

But here’s the thing, everyone’s different. Some of you work long hours. Some of you feel dead tired in the morning. Some of you come alive at 8 PM. That’s fine.

✅ Bottom Line

The best time to train? When you can show up, stay consistent, and push yourself with focus. Don’t chase a perfect window; build a routine that fits your life and keeps you coming back.

Progress doesn’t care about the clock. It cares about effort.

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