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I’ve gotten a lot of questions the last few days about my opinion on Mike Boyle’s video claiming that the back squat is dead. Like I said, I don’t agree with everything Mike says. Nor do I agree with everything Alwyn  Cosgrove or Chad Waterbury say. But they are smart guys who know their shit. I learn something from each of them and I like a lot of what Mike has to say about warming up, rehabbing and staying injury proof. But I’m never just going to throw out what I know works based on one guys theories. So here… continue reading.

Hey Jay I’ve been following your newsletters for a long time; you give some great advice. Wanted to run an idea by you. I’ve been following your lifting routines for a while and was thinking of breaking it down so that instead of doing 4-5 different exercises 3 days a week, I’d do like 2 exercises each morning. Reason being is that time is a little precious for me; I’m a doctor and I’m in my surgery residency and, as you could imagine, time isn’t exactly a commodity I have a lot of. I was thinking that either before going… continue reading.

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.

“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.

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.

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.

By Sean Hyson This is the second half of my interview with MF training adviser, Jason Ferruggia. It’s kind of like The Godfather, Part II, only more violent. Sean: What makes you stand apart from other trainers? Jason: I think the fact that I have logged thousands of hours training hundreds of clients. I’ve been doing this for 15 years, 10 of which saw me spending 8-12 hours in my training facility, five or six days a week, and sometimes seven. Everything I do, I tend to do to the extreme. I always want to be the… continue reading.

Here is part one of a recent interview I did with Sean Hyson for Men’s Fitness Magazine. By Sean Hyson A few weeks ago, I introduced you to our chief training adviser, Jason Ferruggia, so everybody could get familiar with this crazed, shaven-headed Jersey boy… who happens to be one of the most reliable sources of training information out there. Now I bring you an interview with Jason so you can hear him tell you in his own words who he is and why he’s qualified to teach you how to train. Sean: Tell us how you got into… continue reading.

Question: Coach, What is the difference between using chains around your neck on dips versus using a traditional dip belt? Thanks, Keith Connel Answer: Keith, chains around your neck will force your body forward. This will place more stress on the chest. Hanging weights from your waist on a dip belt will keep you more upright and thus put more stress on the triceps. Question: Hey, I’m finding it hard to get eight hours sleep, six if I’m lucky. With my job and my body clocks all over the place. I have’nt been able to progress these last… continue reading.

Since Memorial Day Weekend, which is the unofficial start of summer, just passed, I have a question for you… Did you meet all of your goals that you had set? Did you live up to those New Year’s resolutions? Did you gain all the size and strength that you vowed you would? Were you as lean as you hoped? If the answer is no then you need to ask yourself why. And you need to step it up a notch. Where I’m from the beach season doesn’t really get into full swing for another month. Make it… continue reading.

By Dave “The Muscle Cook” Ruel Makes 4 Servings Ingredients * – 4 large fresh chicken breasts, boneless and skinless (average 8oz per breast) * – 4 cups fresh spinach * – 2 Tbsp of garlic * – 1/4 cup walnuts crushed * – Salt * – Fresh ground black pepper * – Olive oil (not extra virgin) Directions * 1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Butterfly Chicken Breasts (cut along side and lay out flat leaving attached at one end like a book) and lay out… continue reading.