When most people think of the word “badass” they think of Harley Davidson, the old Oakland Raiders, Iron Mike Tyson in his prime, Rambo, Charles Bronson and Bruce Lee. But there’s more to being a badass than just being the type of mofo people don’t mess with. It’s all about living your life a certain way. Following a certain code of conduct most others don’t adhere to. Here are 10 ways to become a badass: 1) Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable If you never push yourself outside of your comfort zone you’ll never know what you’re capable of in life. And… continue reading.

I’ve been a horrible sleeper since 1996. Don’t ask how I remember the date when it happened. Somehow I just do. I never had sleep problems before that. But then it started. Getting more and more awake as the evening went on. Taking at least an hour to fall asleep. Waking every two hours then taking another 30 minutes to fall back asleep. It was a nightmare (pun intended) that I had to deal with for 15 years until it finally started getting better the last few years to the point where now I am getting tired by 8pm, can’t… continue reading.

Guest Post By John Alvino What is your main motivation for going to the gym? Does it stem from an intense desire to increase your mobility? I didn’t think so. Mobility training isn’t fun and it doesn’t give us the psychological satisfaction that “real” training provides. Not only that, it’s boring! And it takes patience, effort, and dedication. For these reasons, it’s rarely done. This is an unfortunate fact because for many of us, mobility is the most important fitness quality to develop and maintain. Without it, your movement ability, joint health, and quality of life can all be seriously… continue reading.

It came to me back in the early 90’s when I was wasting hour after hour in the gym each week and not gaining an ounce of size or strength. At that time, like a lot of people then, and unfortunately, now, I was doing too much volume but never really giving my body a reason to grow. That’s when I discovered Dorian Yates. He had won the Mr. Olympia for the first time that year and the way he trained was unlike anything I had ever seen before. Yates said, It’s simple really:  When you stress the muscle beyond… continue reading.

If you want to build muscle and get strong you have to avoid the bullshit and myths that flood the fitness industry. Here are a few that will kill your gains: 1)  You Should Lift Every Day No, you shouldn’t. You need to rest some time. That’s when you grow. Do three hard strength training workouts to build muscle, and 1-2 HIIT workouts to burn fat and boost your conditioning. One complete day off per week is a good idea.  On another day do something of a lower intensity like mobility work or go for a swim. 2)  You Don’t… continue reading.

We live in a world full of unhappiness. Everyone’s stressed and depressed, jealous and envious, bitter and angry. Everyone wants a better life. We want to be richer, prettier, bigger, leaner, smarter. Nothing is ever good enough. Or is it? Maybe the world we live in has blurred our vision. Information overload, Facebook status updates, a never-ending stream of advertisements and celebrity lifestyle features can make us forget what’s really important. And what’s really important is helping people; motivating, touching and inspiring them. It’s about leaving a legacy. That’s far more important than leaving a status update. We should strive… continue reading.

Guest Post By Eric Cressey The squat has been hailed as “the king” of all strength training exercises – and rightfully so; it’s a compound exercise that activates a ton of muscle mass and improves lower body strength and athleticism arguably better than any other exercise.  The only problem? A lot of people have horrendous squat patterns. Seriously, some people put a bar across their upper back and immediately start to look like the brutally unathletic kid who always got picked last during the recess football draft during elementary school.  No matter how much he liked football, it didn’t matter… continue reading.

Guest Post by the creator of the Truth About Fat Burning Foods, Nick “The Nutrition Nerd” Pineault Hey, get ready because the Nutrition Nerd is back with the raw truth for you. Just poured myself a large glass of fatty raw milk, and I’m so eager to destroy this one particular nutrition myth that I feel like I could rip my shirt and grow a yellow mustache while I’m at it. That’s how enthusiastic this stuff gets me. Before we address all the B.S. you hear in the media about raw milk’s safety, let’s ask the… continue reading.

Guest Post By Rob King In a few short months I turn 40 years old. To be honest, I don’t know how I feel about turning 40. More than anything, I think about how being 40 is going to impact my training. I love being strong, I love lifting, and I want to do this until the day I die. With over 20 years in the gym lifting, my body has a lot of mileage on it.  But I refuse to be “that guy” that talks about the good old days in the gym.  My good old days are right… continue reading.

Guest post by Rick Kaselj, M.S. and Co-creator of Fix My Back Pain. I have been waiting for it for year. I finally got to meet Jay. It was March 8, 2013 and I introduced myself to Jay and got to say thanks for all of his great stuff (emails, articles and products). We exchanged a few words. Then it was off to enjoy OC (Orange County). Then I got to see him again in Vegas on Friday the 13th of September. This time, I got to hear him share his story in fitness. It was… continue reading.

Guest Post By Sol Orwell of Examine.com For those that haven’t seen Examine.com, you’re missing out. They’ve built up a solid reputation on presenting evidence-based information on nutrition and supplementation. I get a ton of questions about nutrition, so I asked if they would do a series of posts on nutrition. Maybe even tackle some myths. Here’s the first one – on meal frequency. Meal Frequency? A common claim is that eating more meals a day causes an increase in metabolism? Another claim is that because your metabolism keeps spiking, you burn more fat, which helps with fat loss. What’s… continue reading.

A lot of times people who are unfamiliar with my thoughts on nutrition ask me my opinion of the Paleo Diet. For some reason it’s somewhat controversial in certain circles. I have no idea why. The Paleo Diet is a great nutritional concept that just about anyone could benefit from embracing. Eat real, whole foods, avoid anything processed and avoid grains, sugar, dairy and legumes. I have zero problem with it. Some people get all upset about the no grains recommendation but you’ve gotta give it an honest try first. In most cases people feel better without grains. They suffer… continue reading.

A lot of times people like to look for weaknesses too early on. The reality in most cases is, that you just have to practice the exercise more, perfect your technique and get stronger. In his prime Ed Coan may have had specific weaknesses and addressing them would have enabled him to go to set new PR’s. For most people who are at a beginner to intermediate strength level it’s really just going to come down to getting better at the exercise and using a lighter, more manageable weight. If I put 20% more weight on the bar than you… continue reading.

Guest Post by Luka Hocevar Lately everyone is talking about the WOW experience. We have Tony Hsieh and Zappos to thank for that and to be honest it has definitely been a game changer in the industry. It helped me look at my business and what experience people were getting once they walked through the doors of Vigor Ground (and before they walked in). Thing is, many people “talk” about it but not many people are actually “changing” the experience they deliver. If you’re thinking that because your training is on point it’s enough to retain all… continue reading.

Guest Post by the creator of The Truth About Fat Burning Foods, Nick “The Nutrition Nerd” Pineault Your healthy food sucks. Wait a minute…. What the hell is this nerd talking about? Let me explain. What I mean is… your healthy food probably sucks. You know the grass-fed beef, free-range eggs, alternative sweeteners, olive oils, etc. that you’re paying a boatload of money for? They’re not what you think. After spending hundreds of caffeinated hours in front of my computer being the real self-educated nutrition nerd I am, I realized that most people get scammed when shopping for… continue reading.