by Christian Duque

This article will more than likely rub a few the wrong way, but certain things simply can’t go unnoticed any longer. There’s some practices I’ve seen far too much of to simply keep biting my tongue and saying nothing. The gym is a great place to reduce stress, get in shape, and even let off some rage – I totally get all of that. Some people love the social aspect as well, while others choose to go at 4AM simply to avoid traffic, maybe even to avoid as many people as possible. Others, I find, may have a love/hate reality of having to wait for machines, having to deal with people texting instead of lifting, and choosing to subject themselves to this punishment, weekdays from 5:30PM – 7:30PM. Anyone who goes during peak hours, by choice, clearly lives for the drama and the aggravation. Who knows, they might feed off of that tension and redirect it towards lifting better.
Read More »Choosing A Gym Partner – The Right Way!

by Matt Weik

If you are like me, you spend a fair amount of time on platforms like YouTube either looking for educational content or entertainment. I have a good number of channels that I follow religiously to get various information. What I’m finding lately is that many of these YouTube influences once they get a good number of subscribers turn into sell-outs. They will make up some of the dumbest reasons for you to buy from their “sponsor” and it can severely backfire when it’s blatant. Let me explain.
Read More »YouTube Influencers Are Sell-Outs

by Matt Weik

I can remember flipping through the pages of FLEX Magazine and Muscular Development when I was in my 20’s and hanging onto everything printed on those pages. After a few years, I became totally jaded after doing my own experimenting and testing. I could follow diets and workout routines religiously, and never see anywhere near the results they claim can be had from these publications. Why is this? It’s because we have a one size fits all mentality. And I was duped into thinking this way.
Read More »Why Taking Advice from Other People and Magazines Is Worthless

by Matt Weik

Following his loss to Shawn Rhoden at the 2018 Mr. Olympia, Phil Heath mentioned that he was once again needing to go under the knife to fix his hernia. This time, he announced that he needs time for his body to heal and doesn’t want to rush back on stage and not only risk doing damaging the same area but he also does not want to come in less than 100% again. So, where does that leave us for the 2019 Olympia if he’s shutting it down?
Read More »With Phil Out of the 2019 Olympia, Who Will Step Up?

by Matt Weik

I can only speak for myself and some of the individuals that I’ve worked with in the past, but there seems to be a common theme for what a personal trainer’s worst nightmare is. As a personal trainer, we want to help as many people as we can live a healthy lifestyle and change their habits. Something that bothers us is when we want to help people who simply don’t want to be helped. They don’t care about their health. They don’t care about their poor lifestyle choices. They don’t truly care whether they live or die. They do what they want. When they want. And no one is going to change their mind. Meanwhile, they are a ticking time-bomb.
Read More »A Personal Trainer’s Worst Nightmare

by Matt Weik

Mainstream media today loves to take things out of context and only give you the information that fits their narrative. Honestly, it’s frickin annoying. Have you watched the news lately? Can you remember any positive things that the news is covering? Majority of it revolves around negative storylines and an attempt to shift our thought process by telling us how we should think and feel. Well, I’m not a sheep, and I’m not buying what they are selling. If they want to change my views, especially on energy drinks, they better come up with more solid facts than what they are presenting currently.
Read More »Scare Tactics: An Attack on Energy Drinks

by Matt Weik

I ran into a scenario while my grandmother was in the hospital that sparked the concept of this article. We (I guess I can only speak for myself as I’m not sure your situation) are in the health and fitness industry. Some of us (like myself) are certified to work with individuals who are looking for exercise and nutrition help. Yet, many “professionals” in the industry are holding onto the goods, so to speak, and not educating their clients on how to properly train and set up workouts along with plan out and understand their nutrition.
Read More »If You Don’t Understand the WHY and HOW, You’re Doomed to FAIL

by Christian Duque

Times have certainly changed when it comes to bulking. Back in the 90’s, guys would put on 50lbs, 75lbs, or more in the off-season! Some guys would tip the scales and look totally different. The mindset was all about gaining muscle, but for many, all this did was put them at a severe disadvantage in terms of shedding the weight each year and dialing it in for the stage. Moreover, the fluffy look has become greatly disfavored for guest posing appearances and photo shoots. Back in the day, the star-power of some greats was so larger than life, that they could take to the stage, without a line in sight, and still bring the house down. Nowadays, most of the popular stars don’t seem to ever come off the creatine, they’re ripped 24/7, and photographers simply won’t work with guys on dirty bulks. No one wants to see that, much less pay for it.
Read More »Clean Eating – Evolution & Effectiveness

by Christian Duque

I think I put it best in a recent Instagram video I made. Imagine you walk into a GNC, put merchandise into your pocket, and leave without paying? What does that make you? It makes a you a criminal and if apprehended will (1) get you arrested, (2) have you pay a fine [typically 3x the cost of the goods in some states]), and see you banned from ever returning. Stealing is stealing. We all throw the book at shoplifting, stealing from the poor, and just generally being dishonest in day-to-day life; however, there’s a very blatant kind of stealing taking place in the fitness industry, particularly with the work of photographers and videographers.
Read More »Images, Watermarks, and Best Practices