If you’re ever scrolling through Instagram and you see a fitness model hashtag #RealTalk… Immediately un-follow that person. Unless you wanna read a 7,000-word diatribe about how they don’t always have visible abs. The comments are always about how brave they are. I’m guessing veterans who lost limbs in battle might disagree. We’ve really lowered the standards on bravery, huh? Somehow defending your nation, volunteering in war torn countries, and battling cancer are now on par with posting a pic of your belly spilling over the top… continue reading.

My name is Jeremy, and I’ve been following Jay’s stuff since picking up Muscle Gaining Secrets in 2008. I was a skinny fucker (weighed about 110 at 5′ 9″) throughout school, and because of it, I was extremely timid and shy. I’m not going to say I was bullied, but I was definitely pushed around a lot and didn’t do anything about it. Lack of size lead to lack of confidence, and it was holding me back immensely. During the years of 2009-2010, that changed. I followed MGS religiously, and was able to go from 110 to about… continue reading.

Twenty plus years ago I had one of the original hardcore, underground, warehouse-style training facilities. Renegade Gym. The music was loud and angry. The attitude was pure ruthless aggression. The floor, covered with chalk. The walls with blood. The closet doors had holes in them. Some from a headbutt before a new PR attempt. Others from the many scuffles that broke out during an intense squat day. This was not a place you came to “exercise,” or “work out.” You came to train. continue reading.

Friday night Jen and I finally finished watching the TV show, Lost. Man, did that ending suck. I’d heard about it for years from everyone. They were even still joking about it on the Oscars a couple months back. I said to Jen, “we put in all that time for that?!” I was so disappointed. All that for nothing. Which is exactly how people feel after finishing many of the popular training programs out there today. They hop around their… continue reading.

I always figured the harder ya work, the better your results. And that works incredibly well with strength training… for about 6-8 weeks. Then you’re fried. Overtrained. Joints are aching. Sleep goes to shit. You’re tired but wired. Anxious. Irritable. In a bad mood. Sex drive drops. Can’t get stronger anymore. Weights feel heavy as f*ck. Why does that always happen? Because the body ain’t designed for that kind of pummeling on a regular basis. No sports practices are conducted with such balls to the wall intensity.  You always leave… continue reading.

You often hear that skinny guys, aka “hardgainers,” should do nothing but the big power lifts. That’s sh*t advice. Most “hardgainers” have pencil necks, pipe cleaner forearms, string bean calves and tiny joints. They’re also tight and immobile. All this is what makes you a “hardgainer.” If being skinny was your only issue but you had big joints and the right structure for big lifts getting jacked would be easy. You could do any of those typical programs and you’d feel great and get huge. But you don’t, so you… continue reading.

As a young meathead, I did a lot of stupid stuff in the gym. I mean really f’n stupid. But I was in my twenties and thought I was invincible. Not to mention charming and handsome with the bloat of youth filling my puffy face. Oh, where have ye gone? Father time, you’re a cruel bastard… The point is that stupidity eventually led to shoulder surgery. That’s why I cringe every time I see someone doing upright rows or lateral raises.   I see it in… continue reading.

When I was growing up you had to put in work to get a girl. You couldn’t just go to the club and stand there like lummox. You actually had to know how to dance. Needed some moves. So you’d be in there doin your little two step, smiling and having fun. Waiting but not creeping. Once you got the eye contact you’d wait just the right amount of time… and then you might start dancing with her. But at an appropriate, safe distance. Ya didn’t just go mount her… continue reading.

Let’s talk about everyone’s favorite show muscle today; the pecs. You can’t train them like every other muscle group. The reason being that they’re made up of predominantly fast twitch fibers. Fast twitch fibers have the greatest potential for growth, but also fatigue quickly. They respond best to lower duration sets with heavy weights. They thrive on explosive contractions.  They can’t handle as much volume and need more rest. They’re “performance muscles.” Not every muscle group is like that. Some are slow twitch, meaning you train them… continue reading.

Every time I log into the Renegade Strength Club I get inspired. There’s always something that makes me smile. Sometimes it’s the new found confidence guys have after they’ve started the program. Other times it’s seeing their transformations or hearing about their incredible strength gains and new PR’s. But being over 40 with a long history of injuries, one thing I really appreciate is hearing about guys who finally found a pain free way to train. “I have trained Renegade style for probably close to 6 years now… continue reading.