by Chris Marzarella

I usually don’t follow articles about arm workouts because I think that most of the articles written neglect other parts of the body, and usually, they write for one or two specialization days during your training week without any thought as to how long, how much or when to move on. As a trainer, I usually incorporate arm work into the workouts for both online and in-person clients. That is unless they want specific work done and I will write a protocol that has that in mind. The easiest example to illustrate is a bodybuilder, physique or figure competitor that needs to bring up symmetry to score higher, or, on the other end of the spectrum, just a girl or guy who wants to look good in short sleeves while on vacation.
Read More »Intelligent Arm Specialization

by Cade Thomas

When it comes to high level athletics or physical art of most kinds, there is a general appreciation for the pursuit and an understanding that although it may be strange or bizarre to the person witnessing it, there is a high degree of difficulty involved in excelling at it. Not everyone wants to master the pommel horse, but someone growing up practicing an olympic sport is going to be met with very little criticism no matter how weird it might be when analyzed objectively.
Read More »“You Look Disgusting” – Bodybuilding vs Sports

by Josh Hodnik

The understanding of how nutrition affects health and bodily function has progressed significantly over the past few decades. We now have access to in depth information that didn’t exist until recently, that explains how certain macronutrients are utilized in the human body and how these nutrients can have an impact on athletic performance, building muscle mass, and shredding unwanted body fat. Bodybuilding and fitness magazines that line newsstands are filled with advertisements and articles that explain the importance of a certain supplement or nutrient, Many of the facts laid out in these ads and articles are often based on information from research studies.
Read More »The Protein Trend

by Anders JP Eskilsson

The mental health effects of training and competing is a subject rarely discussed in the bodybuilding or fitness society. This is something I think we should talk more about because it’s an important subject to take more seriously. A healthy identity or self esteem is essential for any person to function properly in society and through the journeys of life. Our identities are formed based upon experiences, getting to know your strengths and weaknesses, acknowledging your achievements, being loved, having sexual relationships and many other important key factors which makes us what we are.
Read More »Did You Get Bit By the Wrong Fitness Bug?

by Cade Thomas

My chest kinda sucks. If I kept doing what I did for my first few years training, it would have continued to REALLY suck instead of just kinda sucking like it does now. As I picked up on different ways to engage my lats during back exercises and tweaked my form my back began to suck less to the point where it no longer sucks. Ditto for my delts. Some parts that sucked became strong points to the point where I could easily “phone in” a few workouts or even skip them entirely and they would either stay exactly the same or deflate a bit only to spring back to peak form after a few sets.
Read More »Small Pecs: Is Incline Really The Answer?

by Mike Arnold

There is no sport in the world in which the subject of genetics is given as much time and attention as it is in bodybuilding. Although genetic ability is equally important in many athletic endeavors, it is rarely regarded as the be-all, end-all of competitive success, with factors such as mental disposition and strength of will generally considered the more important of the two. From a young age, most athletes have been instilled with a sense of personal responsibility for their own success. Whether they showcase their talents in the arena, out on the field, or in the ring, they are taught that hard work and dedication are paramount to the achievement of their goals.
Read More »The Great Genetic Debate

by Anders JP Eskilsson

Many of us who once started with weight training or bodybuilding dreamed that one day to be able to be on stage competing with other bodybuilders. For many of us the interest for bodybuilding began already in a young age. I think one of my first meetings with bodybuilding or anatomy was when I got my first He-Man action figures when I was maybe 5-6 years old. I was impressed with the plastic figures because they looked so muscular and powerful. In addition, when I got older, the Hollywood movies came along with actors such as Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Read More »What Every Aspiring Bodybuilder Should Know From the Start

by Mike Arnold

No longer considered a novelty item, the pre-workout category of supplementation has evolved dramatically over the last 10 years, with the one-dimensional products of yesteryear being replaced by more holistic formulas. In the beginning, these products relied almost solely on stimulants as their claim to fame, as popular opinion declared that the more jacked you got, the better the product was. With effectiveness based almost entirely around this stimulatory effect, we saw competing companies start dumping stims in by the handful, regardless of whether such a practice was actually beneficial for muscle growth, let alone healthy. The excessive stimulant content of some of these preparations left them nearly unusable by the majority of the population, and if you were unfortunate enough to have purchased one of these, the following crash was often enough to make you think twice before taking another dose.
Read More »Pre-workout Supplementation with Maximum Pump Extreme

by Mike Arnold

As this series draws to a close, I thought it would be appropriate to conclude by posting a list of clinical trials detailing Milk Thistle’s effectiveness as a liver protectant. As science continues to learn more about this herb, I believe its status as the premiere liver protectant will continue to grow. See below for clinical trials.
Read More »Milk Thistle and Liver Health – Part 3