Jim “Smitty” Smith is one of the most innovative and respected strength coaches in the industry. He’s been featured in Men’s Health, Muscle & Fitness, Men’s Fitness and every top training website. Jim trains athletes, fitness enthusiasts and weekend warriors, helping them all achieve beyond their potential. He’s also a close personal friend of mine whom I’ve known for over ten years. If there’s a nicer, more giving, positive person in the world I’ve yet to meet him.  Today’s Podcast Topics Include: One of Jay’s biggest regrets of the last few years Smitty’s take on parenting Life lessons he teaches… continue reading.

“It is quality rather than quantity that matters.” – Seneca Author, Ryan Holiday recently came out with a great book about stoicism. It’s been selling out like a Led Zeppelin reunion tour. While reading it I couldn’t help but think how the philosophy applies to training. As Ryan says, “stoicism doesn’t concern itself with complicated theories about the world, but with helping us overcome destructive emotions and act on what can be acted upon… it’s built for action, not endless debate.” That’s like the Renegade philosophy of training. There’s no need to make it complicated. What worked for Arthur Saxon… continue reading.

The simple answer is yes, of course you can. Resistance is resistance. I don’t think you will get huge without a barbell, though. No, check that. I know you won’t. Squats, deadlifts and presses are hard to beat when it comes to packing on size. If you just did those and the rest of your exercises with dumbbells, bodyweight and kettlebells you’d be fine. But if using a bar of any sort isn’t an option for you lets look at what you CAN do, which is build some serious size and strength. We’ll start from the top. continue reading.

Ryan Holiday gets shit done. I’m talking about a lot of shit. He’s a master of productivity and has accomplished a great deal in his relatively short life. Holiday left college to study under strategist and best selling author, Robert Greene. (The 48 Laws of Power, Mastery) From there he became the Director of Marketing at American Apparel at the age of 21. In addition to his writing and his day job, Ryan has gone on to consult for several New York Times bestselling authors. His work has been used as case studies by Twitter, YouTube and Google and he… continue reading.

It’s pretty safe to say that at least 75% of the people on the planet are haters. That’s sad for them but good for you. Why? Because haters will never get anywhere or make anything of their lives. If you’re consumed by hate it’s impossible to do good things. You can’t achieve your dreams or help others when you’re wallowing in hate all day. What that means is YOU only have to compete with 25% of the world’s population for whatever it is you want to accomplish in life. How freaking great is that? You’re not competing with everyone. Most… continue reading.

Leo Babuta, the best selling author of The Power of Less, sat down with Alli and I to discuss minimalism, productivity, how to establish positive habits and so much more. This weeks podcast was brought to you by Onnit, Total Human Optimization. Go to Onnit.com/Renegade to get 10% off your entire order.   Today’s Topics Include: How Leo turned his life upside down The biggest reason why people fail to keep their habits How spending less time on social media can actually increase your following Leo shares his social media strategy How to create truly great content Leo’s daily… continue reading.

I’d been dealing with gut and digestion issues for too long and finally had to put a stop to it. If it wasn’t the gas and bloating it was the weakened immune system or the inability to eat many of my favorite foods. I literally could not eat more than a small sweet potato without my stomach blowing up like a balloon. The same thing would happen with a lot of my favorite fruits. Most nights I had to sit upright on the couch until 3am because I was too bloated and uncomfortable to lie down. continue reading.

Nutrition expert, trainer, and former professional wrestler Nate Miyaki joins the Renegade Radio podcast this week. Topics of discussion include: Nate’s approach to intermittent fasting. His Paleo plus starch plan. How many meals per day he recommends. The truth about meal timing. What the latest nutrition research has shown. If any of it has made Nate rethink his approach. Why your diet plan has to be practical. Is white rice better than brown? Is there any difference in the approach a physique competitor would take vs an average person? How does the approach change when gaining muscle is the main… continue reading.

In this episode Jay has fitness pro, John Alvino on for a WrestleMania XXX recap, a discussion about sustainable living, productivity, training, nutrition, personal struggles and recaps of past pranks.       Highlights include:     The Ultimate Warrior’s HOF induction and shocking death     Thoughts on the Undertaker’s streak ending      Sustainable living and the choices we all have to make     Why Jay always wanted to be like the Fonz but decided against it     Jay’s favorite productivity boosting app     What Jay and John’s current workouts and diets look like     Why no one hangs out… continue reading.

This is the first ever episode of Renegade Radio. Jay keeps it short and sweet in this one with an intro of what the podcast will be all about, what you can expect and what kind of guests he’ll be talking to teach week. Also included in this weeks episode: •    What Jay’s been up to •    The next evolution of his career •    His next big project •    His semi “mid life crisis” last fall •    Why he decided to get braces at age 39 and how that’s working out •    What… continue reading.

We’ve been thinking about it and putting it off forever. But now it’s go-time. The podcast is on its way and coming at you very soon. I know what you’re thinking. You can’t wait. It’s like they just announced that The Stones, The Who, Bruce, Pearl Jam, Paul McCartney and a reunited Led Zeppelin were playing in your backyard tonight for free. Right? Or maybe that’s just me because I like hearing myself talk. Whatever. The last thing I want to do is make it another boring fitness cast where I just ask some cat how many sets and reps… continue reading.

In this post we’re gonna talk about how to build big shoulders. I’ll give you a quick bit of anatomy on the shoulders and then we’ll get into the best shoulder exercises and the ultimate shoulder workout. Here’s a question a reader emailed me recently… Question: Jason, I have a question about shoulder training. First, of all should I even train shoulders directly? Some people say they get enough work from other upper body exercises. And secondly, if you recommend training them, what are the best exercises? Answer: First of… continue reading.

Let’s assume you’re sitting on the couch on a Sunday in November. You’re watching the Indianapolis Colts but during commercials you flip over to the Oklahoma Thunder game. On one channel you’ve got the 5’9”, 228 pound Trent Richardson. On the other channel you’ve got the 6’9” Kevin Durant. You, we’ll assume, are a genetically average, skinny-fat, 5’9”, 160 pounder. When watching Kevin Durant you’d never in a million years assume that you could grow to his size. But for some reason, whether it’s from being deluded by bodybuilding magazines and supplement companies, or constantly comparing ourselves to others on… continue reading.

This is a guest post by my buddy, Ryan Nemeth (brother of WWE wrestler, Dolph Ziggler. It’s from his book, How to be a Hardbody. That’s Ryan over there, on the left. EXERCISING IS NOT… Exercising is not war. Working out is not a bloody fight on a battlefield. Exercising is not a live-action wildlife sequence in a jungle with a tiger and a gazelle and sharp teeth and blood and victory and defeat now we have to separate the men from the boys and the predator from the prey and suddenly lightning strikes and there’s fire… continue reading.

Guest Post By Nick Nilsson Bodyweight training is awesome…however, due to the nature of bodyweight training (limited resistance), it can be tough to build substantial muscle mass with it. That’s where I come in… My name is Nick Nilsson (a.k.a. The “Mad Scientist of Muscle”) and these 3 “mad scientist” methods will help you build some serious mass with your bodyweight workouts. 1. Daily Specialization Training This is incredibly simple yet incredibly effective…you’re going to take one good bodyweight exercise (ideally something that allows you to only get 4 to 6 reps to start with, like chins, for example) and… continue reading.