JF: Aside from cutting all carbs what are the two or three other most common dietary mistakes you see people making? NM: (1) People getting swindled and fooled by marketing executives, and basing their diets on refined “health” foods instead of nature’s “real” foods.  They think they are doing something good for themselves by eating their 100-calorie bars, gluten free muffins, high fiber cereals, pro-biotic yogurts, and organic pizza. If you take only one thing away from my incoherent ramblings, I hope that it is this: organic crap is still crap, regardless of the marketing taglines.  If you refuse to… continue reading.

Having a blog that no one reads kinda sucks. You pour your heart into writing but nobody ever comes to your site. It’s quite a sad state of affairs, really. How are you ever going to help anyone or get your name in print? You’re probably not. Not if you keep on making some of these common writing mistakes fitness pros are all too guilty of (myself included). 1) Don’t Have a Generalist, Master of None Blog No one trusts or wants to hear from a jack-of-all-trades. Be an expert in something. People like and trust experts. I know about… continue reading.

You’re a fitness professional with a website and an intent to share your information with the world. You want to help others and make some money in the process. Nothing wrong with that. But there might be something wrong with your approach. Here’s a list of five writing mistakes you should never make. Note that many are said in jest and that I’ve been guilty of all of them myself. 1) Don’t Use Weak, Timid Language For people to believe what you write YOU actually have to do so first. If you write in a wishy-washy style and tell people… continue reading.

When it comes to nutrition there are few people who are more knowledgeable or who I trust more than Nate Miyaki. I’m gonna skip the long winded intro about his upbringing, schooling and different hair styles he’s had throughout his life. Though I will mention that he was a professional wrestler. That in itself makes him pretty damn cool. Plus he loves to quote Seinfeld episodes and classic 80’s movies. What more could you ask for? JF: Nate, let’s kick it off by addressing your thoughts on ultra low carb diets. Many people believe or claim that cutting all starchy… continue reading.

When someone started lifting weights for the first time back in the 70’s, 80’s or 90’s the only goal was to get bigger and stronger. It was unquestionable and undeniable. Why else would you lift weights? There was no other thought that would even possibly enter your mind. No one had ever heard the ball shriveling term “metcon,” or would consider interspersing laps around the building in between sets of jerks and fifty rep snatches. Back in those days you knew about training from seeing Arnold and Franco in Pumping Iron or watching Kaz compete in the Worlds Strongest Man… continue reading.

Some people think they can’t use lifting straps because it’s not accepted by the “hardcore training” police. “That’s pussy shit that bodybuilders do. I’m not doing that.” Maybe it is… or maybe that’s why their back looks better than yours. If you want to do rows with a weight that’s probably twenty or thirty percent less than you can handle, be my guest. Sure, turn a good back exercise into a grip challenge and never train your back with as much weight as it’s capable of handling. That makes sense. What a lot of people don’t realize is that grip… continue reading.

You know why you’re not making the progress you had hoped for? Why you’re spinning your wheels and frustrated almost to the point of depression? Why you look the exact same right now as you did 6-12 months ago? What you’re doing at this very moment is part of the problem. Reading this website could be killing your gains. Why? Because you already read two dozen other training websites and Twitter feeds today that told you two dozen different things. And you have no fucking idea what to believe or do. You’re not sure if you’re supposed to be training… continue reading.

Most public gyms suck these days. I don’t really think too many people would argue with that. However, if you’re lucky enough to live by a place like my friend CJ Murphy’s Total Performance Sports (pictured above), in Everett, MA your local gym is “wicked retaaded” and you should consider yourself blessed. The rest of the world is very jealous of you. Unfortunately, great gyms like that are few and far between these days. They certainly don’t make ’em like they used to. That’s why so many people who like to train Renegade style end up building a home gym… continue reading.

“LaRue, you up and ready? I’m gonna swing by and grab you for a quick run to the mall,” I tweeted @CraigBallantyne (to save money on the international texting, because I am just that smart) at around 8:30am on Friday. Since Alwyn and Rachel Cosgrove and Chad Waterbury had gotten in late from the West Coast I figured they would all still be asleep along with other friends and family members staying at the hotel. But I knew that whippersnapper, Ballantyne would be up and working. I picked up Craig and we embarked on a journey for some new Vans. continue reading.

Stop worrying about shit. It’s as simple as that. And doing so can dramatically change your life. Never worry about that which you cannot control. To spend time thinking “what if,” or stressing about things that potentially may go wrong is a total waste of your time here on this planet. If something is beyond your control there’s no use even thinking about it. Focus only on what you can control and don’t waste time worrying about anything else. “What if my boss yells at me for trying this new approach?” “What if this marketing campaign fails?” “What if I… continue reading.

If you’re a genetically average, drug-free guy who wants to build muscle fast it’s essential you know how many reps to do. Most of you are probably sabotaging your gains by training improperly. If you’re skinnier and weaker than you liked to be you have to force your body to grow by providing a massive amount of overload. What do you think is going to do that more effectively? Doing heavy weights for a set of 5-8 reps? Or doing light weights for a set of 15-20 reps? Obviously, the heavy set will provide more overload. continue reading.

Firstly, we have a new look to the site which is a bit cleaner and should make for easier reading. It’s still a work in progress and we’ll be making a few more changes. I hope everyone likes it. After an awesome night out on the town Wednesday in NYC with John Alvino, Sean Hyson, Zach Even-Esh and six of my other closest friends (including Mark Crook and Mike Schwalb who I’ve mentioned plenty of times before) I’m still trying to piece it all together and make sure my liver still works. It was a wild night. Those dudes know… continue reading.

The best muscle-building workout split for most genetically average, drug free, busy guys is no split at all. Full body workouts are the premier and logical choice for those seeking the fastest gains in size and strength. This is how all the legends of the Iron Game trained a century ago and some very big, strong men were built on full body workouts. Gymnasts do full body workouts and they have incredible levels of muscularity and strength. So do Olympic lifters. The more muscle you can activate during a workout the greater growth stimulation you’ll receive. It’s just that simple. continue reading.

Before we can answer the question, “how often should you train a muscle,” a few factors need to be considered. What is optimal for a beginner would be detrimental for an advanced lifter. When you’re a newbie, progressive overload and frequency are two of the most important factors in building muscle. The more frequently you can train a muscle, while stimulating strength gains and without exceeding your capacity to recover, the more muscle you’ll build. This is no different than any other physical quality that you would like to improve in life. Want to become a better hitter?… continue reading.

People always ask me, “what are the best weight training exercises to build muscle and get strong?” But I like to add something to the end of that… “While remaining healthy, athletic and injury free.” Because then the game changes. Sure, you can do a lot of power and Olympic lifting but it will take a toll on your body and eventually you’ll get hurt. I prefer to put safety at the top of the list and stick with exercises that are joint friendly and don’t beat you up. That said, the basics are still the best. You judge an… continue reading.