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.

Some strength coaches and “functional training” guys have a thing against direct arm work. You shouldn’t train bi’s or tri’s because doing so doesn’t help you on the field or develop real world strength they say. Others tell you that training arms makes you look like a narcissistic douchebag. I see this kind of stuff in articles and Facebook posts all the time. In all honesty, I’ve probably said something similar myself in the past just to make a point. The anti arm training brigade says that you should only train for strength or function, looks and aesthetics be… continue reading.

Snooki’s on the cover of this weeks Rolling Stone and people are pissed. Hell, I’m pissed. As a diehard music fan I seriously question their decision to slap millions of hard working starving artists in the face with this move. Young musicians grow up dreaming of one day making the cover of Rolling Stone and following in the footsteps of Lennon, Dylan, Hendrix, Jagger and … Snooki. As a music fan I don’t see how you couldn’t be at least slightly offended by this move. But you don’t have to hate Snooki. The general perception is that this girl… continue reading.

How to Gain Weight It was an awesome deadlift workout and I was in a great mood. “You guys wanna go grab some dinner?” “Can’t, man. Sorry.” “Yeah, I got plans already.” So I was on my own. Since we’d trained an hour later the normal the last thing I felt like doing was driving home and starting to cook. Instead I stopped by a local restaurant where I had gotten to know the staff and become quite friendly with the owner. Gianni was in his late 50’s, short and stocky. Like an older George Costanza, with a thick Italian… continue reading.

The goal? To run faster. Your mission? To find the most simplistic and efficient way of doing so. Why? Because why in the hell would you ever want to overcomplicate things? Oh, wait. I know why. We live in the age of overcomplicating things. It’s a way of life, a FaceBook status update, a YouTube video, a way for a strength coach to seem smarter than he is. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Improving your running speed can actually be quite simple. Firstly, you need to get stronger. You run faster by improving the amount… continue reading.

“I’m getting old.” “I can’t do the things I used to.” “I’m over the hill.” “I can’t train heavy anymore.” “I can’t keep up with the twenty somethings anymore.” “I’m starting to feel my age.” “I’m too old for that.” If you’re under the age of 40 and have been heard saying things like that you should be ashamed and embarrassed. Ray Lewis just finished another season as one of the absolute best defensive players in the NFL and doesn’t seem to have lost a step. He’s 36. So is Donald Driver who is still an outstanding wide receiver and… continue reading.

Today I have a quick interview I did with Shelby Starnes (pictured to the left) on the topic of carb cycling. JF: Shelby, most people would agree that carb consumption is necessary for muscle growth and optimal performance. So some people think, “Well, if that’s the case, why not just go high carbs all the time?” Can you briefly explain the benefits of high carbs and then why you can’t go high carb all the time? SS: A high carb intake will secrete a lot of insulin, which is a hormone that can… continue reading.