Muscles, On The Cheap.

Seen today in the local sporting goods store:

A mere $60 for the “travel” version.
I’ve got a better idea – how about you do some honest-to-goodness, old-fashioned, non-accessorized pushups in your hotel room and save yourself $60?
Every year, hundreds of gizmos and gimmicks are invented to purportedly improve fitness and make exercises more effective – and [...]

Cholesterol is Necessary…For Building Muscle.

Thanks to Chris from Conditioning Research for this article:
Surprise – Cholesterol May Actually Pose Benefits, Study Shows.
Yes, indeed; surprise, surprise. 
Chris has already done a very thorough write-up of the study’s results; let’s reference his comments and explore this topic a bit deeper:
1) “The team studied 55 men and women, ages 60-69, who were healthy non-smokers and were able to [...]

Predicting Your One-Rep Max.

“Hey, whadduya bench?”
What if you never tested your max?
What if you didn’t care to?
One of my clients asked me recently what I thought he could maximally lift in bench press based on his current level. While it’s impossible to know what his true one-repetition maximum (the maximal amount of weight he can bench just [...]

What Rocky IV Can Teach You About Exercise.

Ignore the use of isokinetic (read: useless) equipment. Ignore Dolph Lundgren’s atrocious form (especially on those power cleans – yuk). Ignore the behind-neck pullups (ouch).
What’s truly interesting about this montage is this:
While both men are using vastly different methods and equipment (can snow be considered “equipment?”), both have two [...]

Gentle Diet Reminders: Get Hassled – For Free!

Are you the type of person who’s not a self-starter? Do you need someone breathing down your neck, constant reminding, a push to get the ball rolling?
For clients who’d chronically forget to eat, miss workouts, or not drink their water, I used to suggest creating an “event” in Outlook (if that’s what you use [...]