How Fast Should I Lose Weight

Over the past couple of months, I have been increasingly active on the "Forums" at bodybuilding.com. The forums cover every fitness and sports related topic imaginable, but as you can surmise, with an overall bodybuilding focus, the subject often comes back to the topic of leanness, and losing weight. Conditioning, after all, is usually the difference maker in bodybuilding competitions.

Working Out While Sick Part 2

Part 2

In part 1 of this post,  I focused on my overriding theory of preventing illness and heading off the onset of sickness with intense exercise. Now, let's see how it played out for me over the past week as I dealt with my first real head cold in the past 6 years.

Working Out While Sick Part 1

Part 1

This week I struggled with a question that I'm sure plagues any of us who are dedicated athletes. Do I work out when I'm sick? And, if I do, how hard do I go? If I don't, how do I I know when I'm well enough to start again?

The No White Diet

I'm currently providing dietary advice for a client who is preparing for a figure competition. She's in good shape already, has striking features, and possesses an effervescent personality that is sure to translate into great stage presence. In other words, I know she's going to do well if we can whittle away those last few stubborn pounds.

The Best Way to Work Your Abs is to Shut Your Mouth

It happened again today. Someone approached me in the gym and asked to see my abs. As is usual, after I obliged by pulling up my shirt and flexing a little, they asked me what I do to keep my 6 pack so sharp, "what ab exercises do you do?"

Consistency is the Trump Card

I was recently asked what one piece of advice I would give to a new aspiring bodybuilder. My immediate response was that consistency trumps all other factors.

You can talk about optimal set and rep schemes, debate body part splits, and discuss ad nauseum the importance of nutrient timing, but if you aren't getting to the gym day after day, week after week, and year after year, none of those other things make a bit of difference.

The Font of all Blessings

Recently, a friend of mine was discussing his love of bodybuilding on FaceBook. He had just participated in his first contest, finishing second in his class, and was flying high on the feeling of attaining a long cherished goal. Unfortunately, he was not getting a lot of love from those commenting.

Where There's a Will There's a Way

For a while now, Billy, one of my good friends at the gym, has been working out with his wife, Katherine. Their enthusiasm and ability to encourage each other through a hard workout is inspirational for many of us.

The Best Workout Routine

Yesterday, two of my gym buddies were arguing about the merits of high volume vs. high intensity training. As the argument evolved, it got fairly technical, branching into questions of rep speed, time under tension, and year-long periodization.

If It Works It Works

If you’re like me and you spend a fair amount of time in the gym, I’m sure you frequently hear folks arguing about the merits of this or that exercise, body part split, or diet.  Many of the people arguing often even refer to clinical trials, or cite a study written up in a magazine article to back their claim. And, while these trials and studies are certainly valid, when well constructed, and offer guidance to the population as a whole, they sometimes don’t apply to that most important trial of all, that test of one, which is you.

A Fitness BLOG is Born

As someone who is passionate about health and fitness and sees dozens of articles on the subject every day, it doesn't surprise me how confusing all of this data is to most people. It makes it difficult to feel confident about, let alone act upon, even the most basic knowledge of the subject.  This confusion sometimes extends even to the "gym rats" I rub shoulders with constantly.