A few years ago a young kid walked into my gym by the name of Jeff D’Annunzio. He was a baseball player and wanted to get bigger and stronger in order to increase his chances of fulfilling his dream of playing college ball. From day one Jeff busted his ass and outworked everyone around him. I only had to show him how to do something once and he would master it immediately and do it from that day on with text book form. Eventually I started to use him as an example to help teach other kids. He even helped… continue reading.

A colleague of mine recently emailed me to ask about how I train football players in the summer. Below is a small portion of our exchange… ******** I know you will disagree with a few of the exercises used but as I said I am a realist and guys ALWAYS want to do curls so I give them a few sets a week. It makes them happy. I eliminated it for a while and guys were pissed and always asked when we could do arms. I believe in making everyone happy. Guys like to get a good pump too. continue reading.

Recipe courtesy of Metabolic Cooking Makes 1 Serving (4 to 6 small pancakes) Ingredients • 6 egg whites • ½ cup oatmeal (dry) • 1 tablespoon unsweetened apple sauce • Pinch of cinnamon powder • Pinch of stevia • 1 apple, diced finely • ¼ teaspoon baking soda • Cooking spray Directions 1. First heat a frying pan until hot and then reduce to medium temperature. After mixing together all the ingredients in a blender (except for the diced apple), spray some pam… continue reading.

Here are a few easy to follow nutrition rules that will help you build a bigger, leaner physique: • Build your meals around a base of lean protein and shoot for one gram per pound of bodyweight per day. The only time you would need more than this is when you are dieting and your carbs are extremely low. • Eat vegetables at every meal possible. • Eat organic whenever possible. There is so much crap in the food we eat today that it is really a smart decision to eat organic as often as you can. • Avoid sugars,… continue reading.

By Dave “The Muscle Cook” Ruel Makes 6 Servings Ingredients * – 3 good-sized sweet potatoes * – 1 1/2 cups apple juice * – 1 tsp nutmeg * – 1 tsp cinnamon * – 1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest * – 1/2 tsp sea salt * – 3 Tbsp olive oil * – Juice of one half lemon Directions * 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F * 2. Prepare a large baking dish by spraying Cooking Spray * 3. Place sweet… continue reading.

Question: Jay, I figured you would have some good advice on these questions. First of all, my buddy does the eliptical machine for cardio. Isn’t that a little gay for a man to be doing? I mean, isn’t any kind of cardio in the gym a little gay? Is it ever acceptable to wear old school sweat pants to train in? What about wind pants? Just wanted to get your thoughts on these subjects. Thanks buddy. Marty T Answer: Marty, the eliptical machine is unacceptable for a man to ever be seen on. continue reading.

Before we get to training I have to mention the fact that I saw The White Stripes play at the worlds most famous arena, Madison Square Garden Tuesday night. I knew this going into the show but after seeing him rip the guitar for two hours straight with hardly a five minute break, I can honestly say that Jack White is one of the most talented men in music today. If you get the chance to see them in your area I highly recommend it. Seeing just two people on stage making all that noise is truly a sight to… continue reading.

You want to build muscle and get lean.  And you don’t have all day to read about all the meaningless minutia. You just need to know precisely what to do. So read these mass building tips and you’ll be on your way to the physique you want. The good news is you don’t need tons of fancy equipment or a thousand dollar a month supplement bill.  Its not complicated. This is simple stuff, my friends… 1) Do 3 Hard Strength Training Workouts Per Week Some guys can train more often than this but for most average people with busy,… continue reading.

In the midst of a three day bender, I woke up Sunday morning with an insatiable desire to lift some heavy weights. I looked across the hotel room at my friend Chris who was still in the upright position I saw him in seven hours earlier when I fell asleep. He was somehow still holding the bottle of Heineken in his hand although some of it had spilled on his shorts. “We gotta go train, bro.” “What? Are you serious?” “As a heart attack. Let’s go to breakfast with the bride and groom, eat and drink some coffee and then… continue reading.

Question: Coach, I’m anxious to start your ‘Home Gym Warrior’ program that you have outlined in your Muscle Gaining Secrets package (which is awesome btw). Anyway, since I prefer the home-gym programs due to my schedule, as you might have guessed, I was looking for the most cost-effective solution to having a set of dumbbells on hand. Currently I have some light dumbbells for warm ups and such (sets of 10s and 15s) and some heavier ones(sets of 30s through 40’s) based on where I’m at in my progression. But, I want to also have some heaver… continue reading.

Originally written for Dave Tate &  Elite Fitness Systems in 2004 They say you can tell a lot about a person by the company he keeps. If you associate with positive, motivated, driven people it can only rub off on you and make you more successful in anything you do. If your running buddies are nothing but a bunch of degenerates, that pretty much says that you are a degenerate, or will end up one. Like the legendary old school rap group, EPMD once said, “Hang with nine broke brotha’s and you’ll soon be the tenth.” If you… continue reading.

Originally written for Elite Fitness Systems At a recent party at my moms house a friend of hers approached me and said he needed my advice. He was in his mid fifties, overweight and out of shape. He told me that he started to work out and needed to know how to use some of the machines. “I have no idea,” I told him. Thinking I was joking, he continued, “You know the one that you sit on with your chest against the pad and your hands out to the side, with your knees bent forty five degrees and…” “Mike,… continue reading.

Intervals The good- intervals allow you to burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time and keep your metabolism elevated long after you finish doing them. The bad- if you are training legs two or even three times per week, you can not do intervals more than once a week without overtraining. Let me rephrase that; you can but eventually it will lead to overtraining or at the very least slow down your strength gains. You can negate this slightly by keeping your leg training volume extremely low and doing… continue reading.

The purpose of doing cardio when trying to get bigger and stronger is to keep you lean, improve your insulin sensitivity and allow you to eat more calories. What kind of cardio will have the least negative effect on your size and strength gains? That’s a no brainer; walking. The great thing about walking is it will not impede your progress in the least, the bad thing is that you have to walk for a bare minimum of 45 minutes to really burn a decent amount of calories and you will not elevate your metabolism much after walking. That is… continue reading.

I have gotten several questions lately about doing cardio while trying to get bigger and stronger. Should it be done at all? What kind? How much? How often? What are the negatives? And what are the positives? Hopefully I can answer everyone’s questions at once with this post. Here’s the real deal on doing cardio while trying to gain size and strength… If you are a beginner who also happens to be a ripped ectomorph who has to fight for every ounce he gains (e.g. a classic hardgainer), I suggest that you lay off cardio almost entirely for at least… continue reading.