How to Build Muscle, Gain Strength & Become a Better Athlete

Functional Hypertrophy- Fact vs. Fiction

11. May, 2011 23 Comments Strength & Conditioning

A lot of people, including myself, used to think that higher rep training developed what is known as non functional hypertrophy. This is also referred to as sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. In simple terms the sarcoplasm has been described as a filler type gooey fluid inside the muscles that really doesn’t contract or produce force. Therefore it’s deemed non-functional because it kinda just sits there and looks pretty. In other words it’s good for bodybuilders, bad for athletes.

Myofibrillar hypertrophy is thought to be real muscle growth. The myofibrils have the ability to [...]

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Fast Fat Loss Workouts

05. May, 2011 20 Comments Fat Loss

“There aint no cure for the summertime blues.”

That’s what Eddie Cochran told us in 1958.

And a lot of people know all too well about that particular subject. I’m talking about less than two months from today when June 21st rolls around and it’s officially time to start shedding layers for all to see.

Those who aren’t prepared will inevitably be stricken with a fierce case of the summertime blues. That’s because they will be forced to keep their shirts on or live in embarrassment over the next few months, regretting that [...]

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The Fungus Link

30. Apr, 2011 51 Comments Nutrition

After 30 days of eating pie on The Renegade Diet

It was almost too weird of a coincidence. My obsession with digestive health led to an interest in fungus and parasites. I was reading a lot about these topics and I ordered a few more of Doug Kaufmann’s books to help address the candida issue I had and ignored for a while and many other digestive issues I had developed during my time as a vegetarian from too many grains and legumes (more on that in the future).

But right around the time I started reading more about I started to [...]

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Do the Evolution

22. Apr, 2011 47 Comments Motivation

Throughout my life I’ve encountered numerous individuals who had little to no passion for anything. No hobbies they really enjoyed, no sports team they got behind, no causes they felt strongly about, no interest in world issues, they never read a book and were very indifferent towards music.

I find it impossible to relate to these kinds of people because I am beyond passionate about a whole hell of a lot of things. My friends would probably say obsessed. Unhealthily so, even.

Most regular readers know by now of my love for [...]

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The Power of the Snatch

21. Apr, 2011 14 Comments Strength & Conditioning

A perfect snatch is a beautiful thing. It seems that more coaches prefer the clean when it comes to Olympic lift variations for power production. But I’ve always preferred the snatch and have been obsessed with it since my early teen years.

Cleans are a great exercise but they are also significantly harder to teach/learn than snatches are. The other issue I have with cleans is that they can lead to wrist and elbow injuries. There are certain athletes, such as basketball players or baseball players, that I wouldn’t want to [...]

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Follow the Leader

15. Apr, 2011 14 Comments Motivation, Strength & Conditioning

Here’s a quick way for coaches and trainers to get more out of their athletes and instantly earn their respect.

Train with them.

It’s that simple.

Of course, you can’t do this all the time but once in a while, even if it’s a very rare occasion you should jump in on a workout to show them that you practice what you preach and lead from the front.

Athletes will always respect a coach more if he is willing to suffer with them. My advice would be to join in on a grueling [...]

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Help James Coury

14. Apr, 2011 11 Comments Uncategorized

Guys, I hate to ask for favors. And honestly, I’m not even really asking. I’m just putting this out there. If you decide you want to help it does nothing for me but would mean the world to James Coury.

Who is James Coury?

Well, here’s his Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/jamesfitness

And below is a little background story by James himself. I don’t know James personally. But a friend of mine does and told me he’s a great dude. I trust my friend and believe in doing what I can to help others whenever [...]

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Keep it Real(istic)

12. Apr, 2011 52 Comments How to Build Muscle

Mark Bell, of Bigger, Stronger, Faster fame, (an awesome documentary, by the way) once said that if you see a guy over 200 pounds and ripped he’s most likely on steroids. Now, I don’t agree with that 100% and I’m sure Mark would tell you that there are plenty of exceptions to that statement as well.

I do think he may have been pretty close, though, when it comes to the average guy. Sure, there are genetic freaks and pro athletes who will easily be able to maintain single digits at [...]

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Deep Knee Bends

07. Apr, 2011 26 Comments How to Build Muscle, Strength & Conditioning

Today I want to share a few thoughts with you regarding squats (or deep knee bends as the old timers used to call them), how you do them and what else you include in your program with them.

Firstly, we need to address the range of motion issue. Ideally you should squat to below parallel while maintaining a neutral spine. A good deep squat is very healthy for your knees and also recruits the hamstrings and glutes far better than a partial range squat does.

However, most people lack the mobility [...]

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Salmon Hash

05. Apr, 2011 4 Comments Nutrition

Here’s a tasty recipe from Dave Ruel’s brand new Metabolic Cooking guide. This recipe, as Dave says, is good when you have leftover salmon. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m obsessed with sweet potatoes. So when you combine them with one of my favorite sources of protein you get what I think is a pretty delicious meal.

Give it a shot and let me know how you like it.

Ingredients
•    8 oz salmon, cooked
•    1 tbsp olive oil
•    ¼ cup chopped onions
•    ¼ cup chopped red peppers
•    ¼ cup chopped green peppers
•    1 [...]

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