By Dave Ruel, “The Muscle Cook” Makes 6 Servings Ingredients * – 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts weighing about 6 oz. / 170 g each * – 1/4 cup / 60 ml of oat bran * – 1/4 cup / 60 ml of wheat germ * – 1 Tbsp / 15 ml coarsely ground flaxseed * – 1/4 cup / 60 ml coarsely ground almonds * – 1/2 tsp / 2 1/2 ml sea salt * – 1/2 tsp / 2 1/2 ml white pepper * – Pinch… continue reading.

Q: Jay, everyone thinks they know how to build muscle mass. But as you and I know, most people never really even get close to their true potential. What is the biggest mistake people make when trying to get big and strong? A: They follow the same old, traditional bodybuilding routine. That means they are training each body part with too much volume, not enough intensity, probably too much intensiveness, and not enough frequency. Just so everyone is on the same page, when I say intensity I am referring to percentage of one rep max. That means that they… continue reading.

“We got the results back from the doctor today. It’s pancreatic cancer. There’s no cure… It’s terminal.” My heart stopped and tears welled up in my eyes. Even though he and my mom never decided to make it official and tie the knot, he was, for all intents and purposes, my step dad. That’s what we referred to him as, and Edward Liebman was one of the greatest friends I had ever known. “Whattaya mean? Are they sure?!” I asked as cold sweat started to roll down my back. “Yes.” I couldn’t speak and began to weep like a baby. continue reading.

1) Include a lot of close grip chin ups and dips in your workout program. 2) Never go ultra heavy on curls or direct triceps work unless you want screwed up elbows. 3) If you already have tricky elbows I’d recommend some neoprene elbow sleeves when training arms directly. 4) Get a massive pump. That’s more important than moving big weight when it comes to direct arm training. 5) Let your bench and overhead presses take care of the heavy loading for triceps. Then pump on pushdowns and extensions for higher reps with low rest periods. 6) Consider training biceps… continue reading.

This is an interview from the winter of 2006 that I did with my good friend, Dave Tate. Since many of you may have missed it the first time around I decided to repost it. Enjoy… ***** I’ve never met “Big Bad Dave Tate.” I have never even met Dave “Fuckin” Tate. Supposedly this is some terrifying lunatic who would throw you through a wall for squatting less than 800 pounds in his presence or suck the brains from your skull if you looked at him wrong. At least that’s what I have read on the internet. I only… continue reading.

People often ask me how I have so much time to prepare meals for myself all day and the answer is… I don’t. I’m super busy, and when it comes to food preparation I’m super lazy. That’s why I’ve become a master of quick, healthy, plant based meals that anyone can make in no time. Today I want to share three of my favorite recipes with you that I eat on a regular basis. All of you that want to eliminate or at least minimize the practice of consuming unhealthy meat and dairy products are going… continue reading.

Here’s a quick interview I did recently with my wacky Canadian buddy, Craig Ballantyne. Craig Ballantyne: What was your workout yesterday? Jason Ferruggia: I ran a dozen forty yard sprints in the morning, about two hours after breakfast. That was, of course preceded by a pretty good warm up. At night, six hours later, we did a heavy lower body workout. Before squatting and deadlifting I like to foam roll for about ten minutes and then get in a pretty good dynamic warm up. I like to be dripping with sweat and feeling very loose… continue reading.

“You’re always saying you’re too weak to be strong.” — Life Wasted by Pearl Jam Another summer weekend just came and went and now here we are yet again, on a Monday morning… With yet another opportunity to change things for the better; to make the dramatic improvements that you have been planning to make for so long. Maybe you thought about it over the weekend when you drank too many beers or ate too many hot dogs at your neighbors’ barbeque. Or maybe you were ashamed to take your shirt off at the beach or… continue reading.

Question: Jason, I just wanted to let you know that I have been following your stuff since 2003 and am a huge fan of your work. I am thinking about opening a small, hardcore gym like yours and had a quick question for you. Would you mind sharing with me what kind of application form you use and how you determine who gets to train at Renegade Gym? From what I understand you don’t just accept anybody off the streets, correct? Thanks for all that you do and keep up the great work. Andy Answer:… continue reading.

Question: Jay, I just lost 25lbs of bodyfat and now my main focus is on getting strong and lifting heavy weights. I still want to continue getting leaner but the main focus is on strength right now. What kind of adjustments do I need to make in my training and diet? Mike Flynn Answer: Mike, if you want to keep burning fat the diet needs to remain tight. The majority of your carbs (50% or more) should come from veggies, about 25% from fruit and the remainder from brown rice, sweet potatoes and oats. I would either… continue reading.

This is a great exercise that works the upper body pushing muscles as well as the abs and lower back, which have to contract forcefully throughout the movement.  We use this as an upper body finisher or rep challenge exercise. The key points to look for are a full range of motion and no sagging of the hips or collapse of the lower back… which of course, sometimes goes out the window in the heat of competition. But do your best. What I love about this exercise is that it requires more athleticism than a regular pushup so it serves… continue reading.

Question: Coach, If you had to pick one best carb for lean bulking what would it be? Jonathan Answer: Jonathan, this one’s too easy; yams (essentially the exact same as sweet potatoes) win hands down. It’s been argued that the human body hasn’t adapted to eating grains like oats and brown rice. Some people may have issues with grains, others may not. But I have never known anyone to have a problem with a root vegetable like sweet potatoes or yams. This is the ultimate “clean” carb and should be a staple in any… continue reading.

You’re busy and have little time to spend researching how you should be training and eating. So let me make it super simple for you. First, let’s cover your workouts. You’re going to strength train three days per week and you’re going to get in and out of the gym in 45-60 minutes. This helps to keep your testosterone levels high and allows you to maintain maximum focus throughout. You’re always going to choose big, compound exercises for each body part. Starting from the top down you will do the following movements: Traps- Deadlift, high pull, clean, farmers… continue reading.

I was interviewed for a big name fitness magazine recently and they asked for my top five muscle building and fat loss tips. This is, of course, very hard to narrow down and come up with just five. But I did my best and here’s what I told them… Train Like an Athlete Just about everyone I know wants to look like Reggie Bush, Nate Marquardt or even Dwight Howard. So why train like Ronnie Coleman or Flex Wheeler? Train like the guys you want to emulate. When you train like an athlete you always end up looking significantly better. continue reading.

Question: If someone’s trying to build muscle, is there any benefit to including sets of 50-100 reps, either with lighter weights as a “burnout” set, or with moderately-heavier weights done to failure and then continued in a rest-pause fashion? Answer: For beginners, absolutely not. I actually do the opposite of what a lot of people recommend with beginners who are trying to build muscle; I keep their reps low, not high. Until they master the skill of a complicated exercise like a squat or deadlift I would never risk exposing them… continue reading.