Aside from your neck, the muscles that get exposed to the world more than any other are your forearms. So it’s a probably a good idea for them to be jacked, or least look halfway decent. A lot of guys with average to above average genetics will never need to do any direct forearm work and their forearms will grow just fine from presses and pulls. The rest of us won’t be so lucky. It’s funny because the common message preached to skinny hardgainers is to forget isolation training and only focus on compound lifts. This is… continue reading.

“There aint no cure for the summertime blues.” That’s what Eddie Cochran told us in 1958. And a lot of people know all too well about that particular subject. I’m talking about less than two months from today when June 21st rolls around and it’s officially time to start shedding layers for all to see. Those who aren’t prepared will inevitably be stricken with a fierce case of the summertime blues. That’s because they will be forced to keep their shirts on or live in embarrassment over the next few months, regretting that they didn’t lean down like they wanted… continue reading.

Throughout my life I’ve encountered numerous individuals who had little to no passion for anything. No hobbies they really enjoyed, no sports team they got behind, no causes they felt strongly about, no interest in world issues, they never read a book and were very indifferent towards music. I find it impossible to relate to these kinds of people because I am beyond passionate about a whole hell of a lot of things. My friends would probably say obsessed. Unhealthily so, even. Most regular readers know by now of my love for music, particularly Pearl Jam and old… continue reading.

A perfect snatch is a beautiful thing. It seems that more coaches prefer the clean when it comes to Olympic lift variations for power production. But I’ve always preferred the snatch and have been obsessed with it for as long as I can remember. Before I even started lifting weights, actually. Cleans are a great exercise but they are also significantly harder to teach/learn than snatches are. The other issue I have with cleans is that they can lead to wrist and elbow injuries. There are certain athletes, such as basketball players or baseball players, that I wouldn’t want… continue reading.

Here’s a quick way for coaches and trainers to get more out of their athletes and instantly earn their respect. Train with them. It’s that simple. Of course, you can’t do this all the time but once in a while, even if it’s a very rare occasion you should jump in on a workout to show them that you practice what you preach and lead from the front. Athletes will always respect a coach more if he is willing to suffer with them. My advice would be to join in on a grueling conditioning day. Because, let’s face… continue reading.

You want to build muscle and gain weight fast. You’re not happy with the way you look so you’re in a rush, always eating more and watching the scale each and every day. The problem is the human body is only capable of building muscle so fast. Unfortunately that’s at a much slower rate than many of us would hope for. So when you keep adding more food the only thing that ends up happening is you turn into a fat ass. Maybe I’m nuts but I think most people would prefer to be described as a bad ass rather… continue reading.

Ideally you should squat to below parallel while maintaining a neutral spine. A good deep squat is very healthy for your knees and also recruits the hamstrings and glutes far better than a partial range squat does. However, most people lack the mobility and flexibility necessary to sink a squat a few inches below parallel without rounding their lumbar spine (lower back). When you allow repeated spinal flexion under the heavy load of a squat you’re asking for problems. In fact it’s one of the best ways I know to eventually suffer some type of disc injury. My… continue reading.

Here’s a tasty recipe from Dave Ruel’s brand new Metabolic Cooking guide. This recipe, as Dave says, is good when you have leftover salmon. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m obsessed with sweet potatoes. So when you combine them with one of my favorite sources of protein you get what I think is  a pretty delicious meal. Give it a shot and let me know how you like it. Ingredients •    8 oz salmon, cooked •    1 tbsp olive oil •    ¼ cup chopped onions •    ¼ cup chopped red peppers •   … continue reading.

Up right now in the Renegade Inner Circle is what I consider to be the most important article I have written to date. As many of you know, I am always improving upon my methods and sometimes change my view points when I find a better way of doing things. It’s part of the natural evolution process. You learn, you adapt and you get better. In the past I have always prided myself on the fact that I could get guys strong faster than just about anyone I know. But now I realize that in a… continue reading.

My first hand experiences, coupled with all the reading and research I’ve done on sugar the last couple of years has me really down on it’s consumption by anyone at any time. I honestly believe that it’s not really fit for human consumption.  That is, of course, if optimal health and maximal performance are something that interests you. It’s been said that one teaspoon of sugar lowers your immune system response for four hours. Hell, just about anything physical ailment you can think of is made worse by sugar. Do you have any of the following?… continue reading.

IF you missed the first two parts of this post check them out at the links below- Part 1 Part 2 On to part 3… 20) Do Dips on Gymnastics Rings Instead of Parallel Bars- Unlike the bars which keep you in more of a fixed plane, the rings allow you to move naturally and you can work around the pain. If I could only do one upper body pressing exercise to build and strengthen the chest, shoulders and triceps this would probably be it. That’s not to say that dips on parallel bars aren’t… continue reading.

I hope you guys enjoyed the first installment of this article. Today I’m serving up Part 2… 11) Do More Pushups- Pushups are still one of my top ten favorite exercises and always will be. They are also significantly better for your shoulders than any other form of horizontal pressing with a bar or dumbbells. Pushups are highly underrated because people don’t know how to load them properly or do advanced variations. For loading you can get a weighted vest, chains, a Power Pushup (which is awesome) or even have a partner hold weight… continue reading.

I’ve spent the last two and a half decades pounding the shit out of my shoulders. While that sucks for me it’s actually good news for you. Why, you ask? Because when you’ve torn traps, rotator cuffs and labrums you develop a pretty keen interest in avoiding shoulder injuries. You also develop a pretty good MacGyver instinct about how to work around them. And today I’m going to share some of that information with the Renegade Army. Here is a list of 27 tips that will help you keep your shoulders strong and healthy. 1) Do YTWL’s as a Warm… continue reading.

I’ll be honest; I love to eat. Probably more than anything else. Although George Costanza’s idea of the perfect trifecta didn’t sound too bad too me… “I fined the pastrami to be the most sensual of all the salted cured meats.” If you’re like me and love to eat, getting in shape can be brutally hard. Watching people eat delicious meals while you’re choking down something bland and boring can be pure torture. It’s no wonder more people can’t get ripped like they want to. Luckily my buddy Dave Ruel (fellow Wu Tang Clan fan) has put together a… continue reading.

Today we’re gonna talk about how to build bigger biceps. Because, who wants to walk around with their shirt sleeves flapping in the wind? It’s a fate no man should ever have to suffer. Of course, an easy way around that is to buy smaller shirts. Which, as a New Jersey native/ lifelong meathead, I’m all for. But a size small t-shirt with a pair of 11 inch pipe cleaners hanging out of them still isn’t quite the best look. So lets beef those arms up a bit, shall we? Surely. The first mistake most people make when trying to… continue reading.