Uncategorized

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.

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.

Now that we know how many carbs you need to consume each day let’s get into the exact carb cycling breakdown. The only thing that won’t really change on any of the days is protein. Protein should remain constant at right around one gram per pound of bodyweight per day on average. There’s really no need for most people to go much higher than this unless your carbs are extremely low. Then you might go as high as 1.5 grams per pound. But to keep things simple we’ll leave it at a gram per pound for everyone… continue reading.

The first time I experimented with carb cycling was some time back in the early 90’s, largely influenced by the work of Michael Zumpano and the late Dan Duchaine. I was blown away by how incredibly well this worked so I immediately enlisted a few more test subjects to try it out on. Again, the results were awesome. My brother, our friend Todd and I all got in the best shape we’d ever been in to date. After that I had some clients try it and the results were the same. Being like a lot of people I was in… continue reading.

Salad 2 eggs, boiled, cut into quarters 1 chicken breast, steamed and shredded 2 cups rocket leaves 1 carrot, diced ½ green capsicum, diced Almond sauce 1 small white onion, grated 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1tbs oil ¼ cup almond butter ¼ cup coconut cream 1tbs soy sauce (optional) Chilli flakes Instructions To make the almond sauce, start by placing the oil into a fry pan. Fry onion and garlic on low heat for 5 minutes or until slightly browned. Add almond… continue reading.

In case you missed them here’s a quick list of the most popular (along with some of my personal favorite) posts from 2010: Please leave a comment on as many of them as you like. I always read each and every comment you post and always appreciate the feedback. You Must Have the Wrong Guy- Unlike Bruce Banner, people seem to like me when I’m angry. I kicked 2010 off with this little rant that a lot of people seemed to enjoy. Simplify Your Program to Amplify Your Results– Too many people add too many ingredients and end… continue reading.

With the Renegade Army growing bigger and stronger throughout every week of 2010 I was able to reach and help more people than ever before. That’s what I got into this business for so to be able to do it on such a grand scale brings me a great deal of satisfaction. When I first started Renegade Strength & Conditioning in a tiny, underground gym in Jersey seventeen years ago I never would have imagined that we’d one day be worldwide with over 100,000 rebellious, badasses following the Renegade Method. Thank you all for that. It humbles me beyond… continue reading.

I just wanted to take a quick minute to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and sincerely thank you all very much. Thank you for visiting the site on a regular basis and supporting what I do. It’s because of you guys that I get to do what I love every day. Immersing myself in physical culture and helping people are my biggest passions in life. And to be able to combine the two and make a living doing it is truly a dream come true. Over the last year this here blog has grown to be one of the most… continue reading.

What up, Renegades? Now, normally when you click on this here site there’s a certain stank that infiltrates your nostrils immediately. It’s the scent of manliness and testicular fortitude that just oozes out of my pores on a daily basis. I can’t help it. But if you’ve noticed an extra strong scent of testosterone around here this week it’s because of the presence of my friend,  Sean Hyson. Fueled by grass fed steaks, raw milk and the spirit of the late, great Road Warrior Hawk,  Sean’s back today for the third and final part of our trilogy… JF: As… continue reading.

JF: So, what about staying motivated, getting up and walking on an empty stomach, running sprints when you might not have felt like it, training on low carbs… Do you have any tricks you use to keep you motivated or anything you can share that can help those who lack motivation? Or is that concept foreign to you because it’s never a problem you could imagine having? SH: I started the transformation in late February, so I was sprinting outdoors (sometimes while it was snowing), and usually at night after work. Sure, I was tired from the… continue reading.

Today I have an interview I recently conducted with my brother-from-another-mother, fellow music lover and Seinfeld quoting, old school physical culture obsessed, first class gem of a human being, the lovely and talented…  Sean Hyson. You may know Sean as the fitness editor of Men’s Fitness Magazine and may have seen his incredible before and after transformation pics. Today we’re going to get to know a little bit more about the man himself. I was going to have  him conduct the entire interview in his dead on, Christopher Walken impression but then I remembered you would be reading it, not… continue reading.

Well, it’s that time of year again;  time for my annual Holiday Fitness Gift List. “Aaaaah… Hey! If any of you are looking for any last minute gift ideas for me, I have one…” Actually I have 13. This year I picked out 13 killer gifts that any fitness enthusiast or member of the Renegade Nation would be thrilled to receive. ________________________________________________________________________________________ Climbing Rope– If you want to train Renegade Style you have to have a climbing rope. I honestly can’t think of too many more effective exercises than rope climbing. Your grip/forearms, lats and abs will… continue reading.

So I know I said the Minimalism series was coming to an end. But low and behold, I’m back with yet another installment. In case you missed any of the first five parts check them out by clicking on the appropriate links below. Part 1 Part 2: Exercise Selection Part 3: Nutrition Part 4: Supplements Part 5: Meal Frequency If I could go back 23 years and start my training all over again one of the biggest things I’d do would be eliminate any and all support gear. First on that list would be a… continue reading.

Minimalist Nutrition Made Easy First of all, you need to find your local farmers markets. Not only are these cheaper than the grocery stores but the food is healthier. And they have the only foods most people should be eating, anyway. There will always be a local farmer there selling every kind of meat you could ever want. The best part is it’s all grass fed, free roaming, drug, hormone and disease free, top quality meat. Any type of meat you buy on the cheap at the local supermarket is laden with drugs, grains, diseases and poor fatty acid profiles. continue reading.