Our undercover IFBB pro dishes the dirt on what really goes on behind the scenes of professional bodybuilding competitions. In this installment, he tackles the questionable judging criteria. …read more

If your chest is pathetic, you really can’t expect it to grow by only working it once every five to seven days. …read more

Want to build pure brute strength? How about unadulterated muscular size? Maybe both? Here are the best set/rep schemes for your goal. …read more

In part 1 of the series we spoke about the importance of screening, specificity, education and expectations and managing exercise frequency and volume.  If you missed part 1 of this article series I recommend going back and reading it first.  Next we’ll keep on trucking into the next 4 key principles I like to employ in my programming:

5) Skill Practice 

Learning  and mastering complex exercises takes time and discipline.  I like to think of it this way.  Sports like olympic lifting, gymnastics, running and rowing are sports that people devote their entire lives to gaining mastery in.  It makes sense that if you’re now involved in a fitness program that combines all of those disciplines into one activity that you’re not going to be super proficient in every skill right away.

These activities should be given time and practice and not always treated like another exercise performed in sets and reps.  If your programming is going to include complex movements like snatching, cleaning and muscle-ups then ample time must be devoted to mastering these exercises.

When learning or practicing complex skills it’s usually best to practice them in a fresh state at the start of a workout (only to be trained in a fatigued state if that’s what you’ll be expected to do in competition).

I for one am not a big fan of putting complex movements into a workout in an extremely fatigued state (For the general population).  You’ve got to take my physical therapy background into account.  When I see someone get hurt performing a complex movement like a muscle-up it’s usually in a fatigued state or part of a fatiguing workout.  I feel that there are much more basic exercises (pushups, rowing, running, burpees, wall balls etc.) that can be used to get a great conditioning effect without the risk of injury when your technique …read more

To extend time under tension and trigger key anabolic responses, do “burn reps” at the end of a set until you have nothing left in the tank. …read more

A shoulder workout that uses unique movements based on almost every conceivable training stimulus. …read more

Whether you’re taking a planned break from training or you’re struck by sickness or injury, there are plenty of things you can do to prevent muscle loss. …read more

Not everyone was meant to squat deep, but a simple test will tell you how deep you can safely go. And if “butt wink” is a problem, there are easy ways to fix it. …read more

The real story you’ve never heard behind the demonization of steroids, from Ben Johnson and Lyle Alzado to Barry Bonds and Lance Armstrong. …read more

I once heard some fantastic advice about passion and goal setting from someone who’s name I’ve since forgotten.  I’m pretty sure I’m going to butcher this but the advice was something along the lines of pursuing what it is in life that distracts you from what you’re supposed to be doing.  For example:

If you read through my college notes you’d find 3 things:

I’m pretty much obsessed with programming.  It’s something that runs through my mind pretty much every single day of the week.  When I’m distracted and day dreaming it’s usually because I’m thinking of the next thing I’m going to be doing in the gym.  I’ve been programming for myself, friends and patients since I was about 16 years old.  I love it.

Good programming takes a lot of thought.  Earlier in my competitive career all I cared about was performance.  How do I get stronger, faster, bigger and better conditioned?  Then I started personal training, strength & conditioning and physical therapy professionally and became more concerned about injury prevention.  Also, after pounding weights like a madman for over a decade I realized how important longevity becomes once some nagging injuries start rearing their heads.  I was also influenced from some of the brightest minds in the therapy and strength and conditioning world about what safe and effective programming should look like.  All of these events really changed my mentality and approach to programming.

As a therapist there are only so many things you can do to control your patients.  I can perform manual techniques, instruct patients in a home exercise program, perform mobility assessments, give advice on …read more