If you’re a skinny dude who is serious about building muscle and getting stronger there are three very critical mistakes that you absolutely can’t afford to make. I can’t tell you how many times I see guys in the gym committing these cardinal sins and how badly I wish I could help them all. Unfortunately I can’t save everyone but I’ll always do my best to give my loyal readers an unfair advantage over everyone else. Mistake #1: Training Too Frequently One critical mistake skinny guys always make is to train 6-7 days per week. This is completely unnecessary… continue reading.

We do transformation contests in The Renegade Strength every year. The way it works is simple. You take a before pic and send it to us. Then you take an after pic and do the same. People vote. I fly the winner to Santa Monica and put them up at a nice hotel near the beach. Here’s recap from our last winner… Cali Beach Trip Recap by Josh McManus I got to spend a weekend meeting Jay a few weeks back. Just thought I’d give a little recap of how it all went.

 I got to Santa Monica on Thursday… continue reading.

Jeff “Koosh” Kushmerek is a living legend inside the RSC. He’s like Norm from Cheers. Everyone knows his name. To join Jeff and hundreds of others, click HERE to join the Renegade Strength Club. Give us a little background on your training history, what brought you to the RSC in the first place, and how you’ve changed since you joined. I started lifting in 1988. My brother’s roommate from college lived with us that summer. He was a RB for UColorado. We did 21’s and I couldn’t move my arms for 2 days. I was doing workouts from the magazines… continue reading.

In case you didn’t know, it’s National Coffee Day. To celebrate we are proud to announce the launch of the Renegade Roasting Co. If you know me you know I LOVE coffee. It’s one of my favorite things in life. And the only thing I need to set PR’s in the gym and reach superhuman levels of productivity at work. So it only made sense to start our own coffee company. We took months to seek out the highest quality, best tasting beans we could find. Then we needed a roasterie. I’m old school and like things… continue reading.

Too many times we’re motivated to do things for the wrong reasons. Our focus is internal instead of external. Or maybe fear is holding us back in some way. I address this and much more on the latest Jay Ferruggia Show Podcast (formerly known as Renegade Radio). Some of it might make you a little uncomfortable. And that’s a good thing. You need to be uncomfortable on a regular basis. It’s part of the growth process and getting better. It’s all about constant evolution and getting better every day. Today’s Podcast Topics Include: An important visualization exercise to help guide… continue reading.

Guest Post by Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, RHN, and author of The All-Day Energy Diet I am a firm believer that intense exercise is a must for improved fitness and good health. However, it must be balance with adequate recovery. As a former pro soccer player, I can speak from firsthand experience that it’s how you eat and what you do BETWEEN your workouts that matters most, especially if you want to avoid running your body into the ground. Your body can only handle so much stress before it falls apart. If you love working out, then that’s awesome. What I’m… continue reading.

When asked what the best lower body exercise is most people just say, “squats,” without even thinking. But there are numerous types of squats. And there’s one that you never see anyone doing, that can be a game changer. It’s known as a skater squat or single leg squat. You do them by bending one leg behind you and squatting down on the other. Dr. Stuart McGill is the leading spine researcher in the world and he ranks this among the most effective exercises anyone can do. It has countless benefits… continue reading.

Before you start lifting heavy weights there are a few things you need to do. I like a pre-workout cup of coffee and if it’s early in the morning, a hot shower before. When you get to the gym you have to warm up. I often assume everyone knows that by now, but I’m reminded otherwise every time I’m in a public training facility. Raising your core temperature by doing 5-7 minutes of some light cardio can be a great idea. Then you hit your soft tissue work,… continue reading.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…   Most people shouldn’t be doing Olympic lifts.   The name itself should probably be a giveaway. It’s an Olympic sport. That gives you an idea of the time and effort required to do those two lifts safely.   Athletes who reach the Olympic level start practicing their technique on the snatch and clean & jerk while they’re still… continue reading.

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.

In the latest episode of Renegade Radio I sat down with an old buddy of mine, and author of The Encyclopedia of Underground Strength & Conditioning, Zach Even-Esh. Our friendship started over a decade ago on AOL Instant Messenger and we’ve had a similar evolution. Zach is the epitome of passion and hustle and continues to push himself every day. He always recommends getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. And he lives it every day. If you want to get pumped up and inspired be sure to give this episode a listen. Today’s Podcast Topics Include: I give my thoughts… continue reading.

Frank K. is a 48-year-old guy who messaged me about Thursday’s email. He told me that he had some nagging injuries from his years playing football. Because of that, he couldn’t lift heavy if he wanted to. I told him I didn’t want him to. When I say you have to get stronger people often misconstrue what I mean. I don’t intend for you train like a powerlifter. The last thing I would recommend is ultra-heavy low rep sets. Especially a workout full of them, like some of the popular… continue reading.

One of the best books I have ever read is The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau. I recommend it to everyone I meet. If you have ever thought, “there has to be more to life than this…“, go read his work. Chris focuses on living an unconventional life in a conventional world. Chris’ latest book, The Happiness of Pursuit, hits stores today. In this episode, we discuss his new book, and his reflections and lessons he learned traveling to every country on the earth. Today’s Podcast Topics Include: How to deal with and conquer your fears The… 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.