by Christian Duque

In Spanish we have an old saying, tell me who you’re with and I’ll tell you who are. Another saying that’s appropo for this article goes something like this, “you get what you pay for.” I mean, we’ve all heard that one and know it all too well. The crux of this article and of pretty much everything dealing with building quality muscle, is diet. As with anything, sources are key. If you’re buying a creatine product and the source is a cheap raw, you probably won’t see results. If you buy cheap luggage at a tourist trap, it’s likely your belongings will eventually wind up all over the floor because the bag won’t stay together long.
Read More »Does Where You Shop, Determine What You Get?

by Christian Duque

Things have a tendency to improve over time, particularly things that deal with science. Strength and physique-bases sports have a great deal to do with research; they focus on innovations and discoveries insofar as nutrition, training, and supplementation. There have been numerous studies conducted, athletes have learned a great deal through trial and error in the gym (e.g. through lifts), and pretty much each contest prep, athletes and their coaches learn about how macro and micro nutrients effect condition. There are also a great deal of lessons learned from supplements, from the food-based to the hormonal. There’s also the normal course of human nature.
Read More »How Do Today’s Bodybuilders Compare to the 90’s

by Christian Duque

Have you ever wondered why bodybuilding, which is for all intents and purposes a niche sport, draws so much attention from the music business, Hollywood, and mainstream sports? Why is that bigger draws, like the WWE have a fascination with bodybuilders? That fascination has even reaching the point, that it’s biggest mogul, Vince McMahon, put his heart and soul into starting his own bodybuilding federation. He was making a killing with wrestling, much like he has all along, but he saw something in bodybuilding. His approach may have seemed intriguing at first, as he tried to buy the loyalty of every top tier bodybuilder he could find.
Read More »Why Do Celebrities Love Bodybuilding?

by Matt Weik

I’ve been sitting here for about ten minutes now just trying to figure out how to start this article on Nataliya Kuznetsova. I guess the only thing you can say is “holy shit.” The end. End of story. But seriously, all joking aside, I am completely and utterly speechless. I’m still trying to process what I saw on stage a couple weeks back at the Wings of Strength show (Romania Muscle Fest).
Read More »Nataliya Kuznetsova Destroys Male Pro Bodybuilders

By Christian Duque

Who wants to be famous? Who wants to be popular? Who wants to be listened to, consulted, and followed? Most people are going to raise their hands, because most people want to feel important. One sure-fire way to get noticed in the ever-competitive world of social media, is through sharing new information and/or delving into taboo topics. One of the most taboo topics in the fitness world is performance enhancing supplements. What’s ironic, is that most people asking the questions don’t even use the supplements they’re inquiring about. There’s a certain shock value that’s still very much present whenever these topics get broached. Back in the 70’s no one really cared much about PED’s, just like in the 80’s, because while they weren’t entirely illegal.
Read More »To Share or Not To Share – Your Supplement Choices?

by Matt Weik

By now I’m sure you have heard about the new supplement company created by some pretty big names – specifically Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lebron James, Cindy Crawford, and Lindsey Vonn. Some of those names still mean something while others are has-beens and really don’t mean anything these days. The name of the supplement company is Ladder. They claim their supplement company is unlike anything on the market today but is this truly any different than what you can buy right now?
Read More »Arnold and Lebron Create Ladder Supplements

by Christian Duque

So I’m sure you’ve heard the big news by now, The Egyptian Phenom, Big Ramy has left the camel crew. For years, the bodybuilding community looked to Oxygen Gym (Ramy’s unofficial HQ) as the base of operations for the new wave of bodybuilding. The all encompassing gym in the heart of Kuwait City, represented all the things that we, growing up, associated with Golds’ Gym, muscle beach, and the way bodybuilding was in the old days of Arnold, Franco, and Lou. In today’s world, the only real gym that can lay claim to that lifestyle, that realness, and that hardcore vibe, would be the East Coast Mecca of Bodybuilding, Bev Francis Powerhouse Gym in Syosset, NY. I’ve been there, I’ve done interviews there, and I can speak on a first-hand basis to what a great facility it is. Nonetheless, O2 Gym is very well put together (seeing shoots and videos), it does have have an impressive roster of athletes, and it does have plenty to offer.
Read More »Oxygen Gym – Post Big Ramy

by Matt Weik

I remember back when I was a young man going into the local GNC store and buying various products that were recommended to me by the store clerk. I’d go home with high hopes of seeing THE GAINZ only to be disappointed that the products didn’t work. I then would go back and say I need something “better” than what they recommended last time. I’d once again leave with a bag full of goodies and the scenario would replay over and over again. The only thing that seemed to be changing was the fact that my wallet was getting thinner.
Read More »Will GNC Survive 2019?

by Christian Duque

There’s a cheesy sales pitch that’s always used around the Holidays, it goes like this, “Say Hello to Good Buys.” Get it? Well, I’ve always found it rather humorous, but it should definitely give you some food for thought. Everyone wants to save money, usually because they want to pool their resources for something important. Some folks save money to go on a vacation, others save for a car, and some save for their retirements or the proverbial “rainy day.” The irony though, is that you won’t be around for that rainy day, much less your retirement, if you’re dead as a door nail.
Read More »Don’t Save on Food, Spend More!

by Christian Duque

The whole point of working out is get a pump and see some real growth. For many, how hard you train will determine how much muscle you gain. For example, there’s a myth those on the east coast train much harder than those on the west coast. Others believe that hard music has a direct impact on setting a hardcore tone in the gym – literally. They think that a hardcore gym will blast Pantera and Slayer, while a powder puff gym will play Lady Gaga and Maroone 5. The gym that plays the hardcore music, is the place for freaks, while the other one is for folks who train in spandex and look twiggish. Others don’t believe you’ve trained, until you’re doubled over in pain, twisting in agony, throwing up into a trash bucket. How absurd, right?
Read More »Intensity vs Stupidity – Coming to a Gym Near You